Daddy? How Could You!
by Invincible Shadow
Summary: Sakura spent her whole life with the Akatsuki, concentraiting on becoming stronger, to be of use to her Father, whom she viewed as the God himself. However, after being sent to Konoha as an undercover Genin,will her opinion of Him change? Saku-centric.
1. The Akatsuki's Goddess

_Hello_.

I'm Sakura Haruno, an official Akatsuki member and an all 'round kick ass chick. Yes, you've got it right. I _**am**_ an Akatsuki member. To be honest, it was decided ever since I appeared in my mother's womb.

_Konan's_ womb.

It really is the strangest thing when you wake up on your 5th birthday and instead of getting candy and doll houses you get kunai and shuriken. But the best gift I got on that impossible day was from my father. From Pein.  
>He gave me something he had never given anyone else. The simplest, yet the most incredible thing. He told me the truth. He gave me a choice. He offered me freedom.<p>

_**~ Flashback ~**_

"_Sakura… You're too young, I shouldn't be telling you about this yet, but I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already did. " Pein whispered. "I'm sorry that you have to go through all these complications. I'm sorry that you can't have a normal childhood. But… I will understand if you chose to leave. Having S-class criminals as parents is not the future I would have planned for myself either.  
>Konan and I… as well as the rest… we will understand if you decide to leave. I-if you choose freedom over us. After all, we are S-rank criminals… We will get over it. Eventually." His voice broke at the end. <em>

_Little Sakura stared at him with bewilderment. Then, small hands reached up and grasped his shoulders. "But Daddy, what are you so concerned about? That I will leave you? For what? Freedom?" She giggled slightly making her father gape at her curiously. "Wasn't it you who always told me that the only freedom shinobi will ever get, is the freedom of death? I am an Akatsuki, Father. And I follow the path that lies in front of me, never looking back."_

_It was times like these when Pein truly wasn't sure if his daughter really was a five year old kid who stayed in hiding for her whole life and not some incredible genius with an IQ of over 200, who'd already seen and experienced everything that this world had to offer. It was also times like these that he could be who he really was. Just a man. Just a man who wanted peace. Just a man who wanted love. And with his own, five-year old daughter, right there in his lap, he could finally relax._

_**~ End Of Flashback ~**_

"~Otou-san!" a happy voice rang through the hallways of the Akatsuki base.

Pein raised his head from all the paperwork "Hm?"

"Who has done the least missions this month?" Sakura asked.

Pein raised an eyebrow, but then smirked, catching on. "That would be Hidan. Only two assassination missions, one failed bounty hunting and one B-rank."

Sakura grinned and then yelled, "Bastard-kun meet me at the Training Grounds in five!"

There was a loud _**THUD**_ then a curse and a muffled "I'll be there, Bitch-chan!"

Pein rolled his eyes. Ever since her 10th birthday, Sakura came to him at the end of each month, always asking the same question – 'Who has done the least missions this month?'

He would tell her whoever it was and said person would become her training dummy for the next week. They would end up with at least two bruises, broken bones and numerous scratches.

Sometimes Pein just _loved_ his daughter.

~~ Time Skip – 30 minutes later~~

A panting, sweaty, bloody Hidan laid in a messy heap on the ground, Sakura towering over him without a single scratch.

Hidan groaned, sitting up. "What the fucking fuck, bitch? How did you beat me?"

Itachi sighed. Though he was secretly proud of Sakura for beating the foul-mouthed Jashinist, Hidan's lack of… well, _understandable_ _vocabulary_ annoyed him to no end.

Deidara and Kisame were currently rolling around on the ground and clutching their stomachs.

"H-Hidan I think I forgot to mention that neither Sasori-Danna nor I have managed to beat Saku-chan ever since she started training with the Uchiha, un!" – Deidara managed to get out between his hysteric attacks.

And it was true. Neither Deidara nor Sasori had beaten her after her much needed training with Itachi and his partner. She would come back exhausted as hell and sweaty, but content.

Hidan paled. "You gotta be shitting me. Puppet Boy lost to Bitch-chan? That's bullshit!"

All eyes turned to Sasori. "As much as I hate to say that, the brat is right."

His dignity probably suffered a massive blow, but he kept his cool.

"Alright. I'm going to take a shower and then go to Okaa-san. If you need me… well, you'll have to wait." She smiled sweetly at all of them, "Later!"

_**POOF!**_

"She learns too quickly." Kisame groaned.

"Tell me about it, un."

"Hn."

~::~

Sakura's P.O.V

"~Okaa-san! Otou-san!" I sang happily.

I loved my family. I really did. Screw the fact that they are dangerous S-rank criminals. They're adorable!

"Sakura."

"Hm?" I turned my head to the voice and saw Mother sitting on Daddy's lap. "Yes, Dad?"

Pein smiled slightly. "There's something I would like you to do. It's a sort of mission/opportunity for you."

My heart skipped a beat. I swallowed. "What kind of opportunity?"

Konan smiled at me. "Your ability to obtain information, your loyalty, and strength."

I whistled. "Day-um. It sounds serious."

Pein smirked. "It is. Unless you don't think that the Chunin Exams are serious."

It took a moment but I finally caught on. "Wait… You're sending me on the Chunin Exams?"

Mum nodded, still smiling. "Unless you don't want to go…?"

I shook my head furiously "Hell no! I wanna go! I want to prove myself!"

Pein's smirk only widened. "Good. You're leaving tomorrow."

I fist-pumped the air. "Cha! When I come back I'll be an awesome Chunin as well as the Mizukage's special Hunter-nin! Hooray!"

I stormed out of Dad's room, skipping happily.

**God, Tobi is rubbing off on us…**

_Aw, come on Inner! Be more enthusiastic!_

**Yehey…**

_~We get to kick some Leaf ninja ass…_

**CHA! When are we leaving?**

Sakura inwardly giggled at how predictable her Inner was.

_Now, don't be so_ _hasty._

**Hmpf. Way to be a kill joy…**


	2. I Don't Need Your Pity!

Sakura was packing, getting ready to leave their base. She was thrilled with the possibility of proving herself to her Otou-san as well as others (Itachi more than the rest).  
>She<em> needed<em> to pass that exam. It was a _necessity_. She checked her pack the last time for that day. It was only so much her little twelve year old self needed – food pills, clothes, necessary weapons, medical scrolls. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sakura was about to crawl into her bed and have some peaceful, well deserved rest, when tired knocks sounded at her door.

**Ugh! Who the hell dared to disturb me?**

_Inner, calm down. Go answer the damn door and if it is something that isn't worthy of our time, I will allow you to take over and pummel whoever it is into oblivion. Deal?_

**Hmm… Yea, I'm cool with that.**

_Good._

She stood up and strode over to the door. Opening it with a sharp tug, she froze.

"Dei-kun? What happened?"

In front of her was Deidara, who was gripping his left arm and grimacing slightly, a small trickle of blood oozing from under his hand.

"Hi, Sakura-chan, yeah. I was sparring with Sasori-no-Danna and one of his demented puppets got past my clay and stabbed me. Stupid bastard poisoned it as well, un."

Inner Sakura swooned. **Come right in, sexy-man!**

_Shush you._

Sakura giggled. "Come in, Dei-kun. Give me a moment; I think I might even have an antidote." She walked over to the built in bathroom, and began rummaging through her medic cupboard. Deidara nodded and lay down on her bed. He smirked when he heard a quiet _'Shit' _through the bathroom door. The door opened and Sakura walked out scowling, her eyes screaming Bloody Murder at the person who pissed her off.

"Your fucking _Danna,_" She said the name with such venom that he almost flinched "stole the antidote I had for your poison. Here, read this."

She thrust a crumpled piece of paper in his direction and he caught it. He almost ripped the note to shreds. He knew that whenever they (Sasori and himself) fought for whose art is better they were serious, but for him to resort to something like this…. This was just cruel.

The note read:

_I hope that you're capable of extracting the poison without the antidote, because if not, then the brat dies. Unless, of course, he decides to come to me and agree that eternal beauty is much better than his petty excuse of art._

_~Sasori_

Deidara growled, and then looked at Sakura with pleading eyes. She sighed.

"Alright. I think I know a technique which could help you, but I'm still testing it; I don't want to hurt you, Dei-kun."

Deidara smiled slightly. "You won't. I know you won't." Sakura looked at him questioningly. "After all, I'm too adorable to die by the hands of Sasori, you know."

She rolled her eyes but then burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha, Dei-kun. But if you really do trust me this much, then I guess it wouldn't hurt to try…"

**~::~**

Sakura was panting slightly and Deidara groaned. It has been almost half an hour since she started the technique and she finally finished. Somehow, he ended up with his back flat on her bed, Sakura bent over him, her legs on either side of his waist.

"There. All done." She breathed out, wiping a small droplet of sweat from her brow.

Deidara couldn't help it; she was just too cute for her own good. With brains to match Itachi's and strength on par with Kisame, it seemed almost impossible for her to be only twelve years old.

"D-Dei-kun…?" She asked seeing the curious look in his eyes.

Deidara smiled at her, then lifted his head off the pillow and pecked her on the lips. She froze for a second but then relaxed. It was just his way of saying 'Thank You' nothing more. When he pulled away, Sakura lowered herself down onto his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

_**Sakura's P.O.V.**_

Fuck this. I know that if anyone was to just randomly walk past the room they would think we were lovers. But in truth, we're not. Quite the opposite, really. We're the best of friends. With plenty of similar characteristics that make us who we are; Deidara is erratic, and eccentric. He is nice and smart and he hates death and we have all of these things in common. But most of all, we share one thing that makes us inseparable. We both possess that unquenchable, desperate desire to be free: to escape anything and everything while turning the world on its head in the process.

Also, we are batshit crazy. He blows shit up; I toy with a group of dangerous S-Rank criminals on a daily basis. We have this insane and impulsive gene in us that makes us do things without thinking, whether it was me yelling obscenities at Tobi for pushing Kisame's head underwater, while screaming _'Swim Fishy, swim!'_ or him, justifying the action of punching the shit out of Hidan for getting shit-faced on my 10th birthday. This psychological defect that we had no problem expressing to each other is what brought us together into the best buddies that we are.

It's just… _Natural_.

"Hey, Saku-chan?" I look up at him,

"Hm?"

He smiled and ruffled my hair. "Just try to not get yourself killed."

**~::~**

"So, Bitch-chan, you're going to the Chuunin Exams, huh?"

"Yea, what 'bout it?" I asked. That is the thing with Hidan – he fails to understand the meaning of the word 'subtle'.

"Nothing. Just make sure to kick every-fucking-single pansy-ass that you come across."

I smirked, "No problem, Bastard-kun."

But my grin wavered when I saw the look on his face, like he was having some kind of Inner battle.

"And.. Uh.. Ah, _**FUCK**_ _THIS_! Be careful, OK?"

I was startled. Hidan… Was… _**Worried?**_

"Aww! Is Hidan-teme worried?"

"Huh? _AW_, Hell **NO**!" He went red, "It's just that if you fucked up and died I wouldn't have anyone to piss the crap out of!"

…

"Oh." I couldn't keep the tiniest bit of disappointment out of my voice.

But hell, what was I expecting?

Criminals don't care for others. Nuh-uh.

**~::~**

"Hey, kid."

"Huh? Oh, Fishy-chan!"

"I heard you're taking the Chuunin Exams, ne?"

"Uhh, yea…?"

Kisame grinned. "Don't kill yourself, kid. Leader would skin us if something happened to you."

**This is the hundredth time I'd heard this today, seriously!**

_I agree! Who do they think I am? Some weak, worthless cretin?"_

**It sure seems like it.**

_UGH!_

**~::~**

Sakura was curled up on her bed, sobbing. With a jolt she realised that she has not shown any signs of physical weakness for over three years, and knowing that made everything so much worse.

There was a quiet knock on the door and she jumped.

"If you're here to tell me that I should be careful not to kill myself then you can royally piss off!" She screeched.

"Sakura-san… It's me, Itachi."

All the anger evaporated from her like from a pierced balloon. She sighed. "Come in, Itachi. The door is unlocked."

The door creaked and in walked Itachi. He looked calm on the outside, as always, but there was an unidentified emotion in his eyes. After a few seconds she realized what it was. Not sympathy. Not worry. Not pity.

It was anger.

He strolled over to her and sat down on the edge of her bed. Itachi gently stroke her hair while waiting for Sakura to calm down.

"They've done it again, haven't they?"

Sakura chocked out one last sob before nodding. "Everyone keeps telling me to be careful. It's like they still see me as the hopeless little 2 year old who can't take care of herself." She inhaled sharply. "I understand that they are worried, but seriously, I can take care of myself without their help! I don't need pity or sympathy!"

Itachi nodded, understanding her situation. "I know, Sakura, I know. But you have to face it – you're like a little sister to us, a little sister that we never had. It's natural for us to be worried." He paused for a moment, "Though personally, if I was worried I would train you to the point of exhaustion, just to make sure that you're ready for whatever comes your way, instead of showing pity."

Sakura groaned. How was it that Itachi could understand _exactly _what was troubling her without even having to think about it?

But then something hit her. _Though personally, if I was worried…_

"So you mean that you're not worried, huh?"

Itachi turned to face her. "Of course I'm worried. But I know that you can get through this."

Sakura frowned. "How can you be so sure?"

"_Because I believe in you._"

**~::~**

**OK! That's it! This is the second chapter of 'Danger Insight"!**

**Hope y'all liked it! **

**Reviews are very much appreciated! **


	3. So Did we pass?

Sakura stood before her team, her scrutinizing gaze travelling from one face to the other.

She could already tell that they were the kind of teammates she needed – those who enjoy harsh training, but not to the point of exhaustion, those who like socializing, but not to the point of being a pain, those who'd like to know about her past, though not to the point of pressing for information.

**Hmm… Not so bad for a first impression, though the boy sure looks like our new never ending source of headaches.**

_It sure seems like it._

The Jounin who was appointed as her sensei took it upon himself to break the awkward silence.

"Alright. Welcome to team 101 then. My name is Kaimei Chikara, please refer to me as Kaimei-Sensei, cool?"

Sakura nodded her head. He wasn't so bad – shoulder-length black hair, calculating sky blue eyes. Twin katanas criss-crossing on his back.

**Hn. Kaimei Chikara? Interesting name. **_**(1)**_

Sakura mentally nodded. He was a curious character that much was certain. She turned her head to the other girl who looked like the happy-go-lucky and overly enthusiastic type.

She raised her hand in a lazy wave. "Hello. I'm Akatsuki No Sakura. Glad to meet you."

The girl squealed. "Hi! I'm Umi Dansu, I'm from the Dansu clan, and this little idiot over here is Shiso-chan!" _**(1.1 and 1.2)**_

The boy glared half-heartedly, "I told you not to call me -_chan_!" He hissed.

Sakura decided to pull of the '_cute act_' as she dubbed it. She tilted her head to the side and stared at Shiso innocently, "Why not? It fits."

Umi burst into giggles and Kaimei-sensei smirked.

"Now that I think about it, yes it does!" Umi cried teasingly, "You would make such a cute little girl, Shi-_kun_"

Sakura smiled. Yes, he would indeed. Spiky, chocolate waist-long hair and hazel brown eyes, which were currently narrowed in the girls' general direction.

"_I. Don't. Look. Like. A. __**Girl**__!_" He roared.

"Sure, Shi-kun, sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Umi laughed.

"Ok, now since you seem to be getting along quite well, we can begin training. You know where we're heading to at noon, don't you?" Kaimei asked.

Umi jumped up. "Hell Yeah! The Chunnin Exams, here we come!"

Sakura laughed at the older girl's antics but followed her to the Training Grounds nonetheless.

**~::~**

The three of them sat on the grass, sweaty and panting.  
>Shiso was the first to break the silence.<p>

"Bloody *pant* Hell. That was… Damn… Tiring!"

"Y-Yeah…! What's gotten into Kaimei-sensei? He was never this ruthless before!" Umi exclaimed.

Though Sakura was panting slightly as well, she was not about to complain; she knew why the man did what he did. He wanted to check if they could work as a team.

**Yeah, well after pulling of this '**_**Sakura, kill Shiso or Umi dies**_**' it's kinda obvious.**

_Yea, but you could see the surprise in his eyes when the 'Umi' he was holding turned into a log._

**Don't get too cocky, he had every right to be surprised. None of the Genin who I know can pull of the Thunder God Technique and keep a Shadow Clone, **_**while**_** using the Substitution Jutsu.**

_Hmm… Yeah, you have a point. Thanks Itachi-sensei!_

"Hey, uh, guys?" Sakura started quietely.

"What is it, Sakura-chan" Umi asked softly.

"Thanks… For, er, you know… Accepting me."

Before she knew it she was engulfed by two pairs of arms.

"That's OK, Sakura-chan! You're an awesome teammate, even Kaimei-sensei was impressed, and trust me when I say this, it's _damn _hard to earn his respect. Believe me, I've known him for 5 years and he still treats me like a brat!"

"Tch, it's because you _are _a brat, Umi."

"Shut up, Shi-chan! At least I'm not the gender-confused one here!"

"Of course you're not gender-confused – everyone knows that you're a male!" Umi went rigid, "I mean, seriously – flat chest, short, boyish red hair, and playing with mud as your defence! That screams '_Look at me, I'm a guy who is too weak to stand up to others so I pretend to be a girl_!'"

"Oh you did _not_ just go there!" Umi roared.

"Oh, yea? You wanna know something? I DID!"

"Why you little-!"

"Umi, Shiso, that's _**ENOUGH**_!"

Both Genin stopped mid-insult and turned to their new teammate.

"S-Sakura… chan?"

Sakura was growling quietly and looked just about ready to punch the shit out of the closest thing (or person) next to her. She turned her head to the arguing duo.

"Guys… I will say this only once. Why do you think Kaimei-sensei put us through such agonizing training, even though he knew that we're leaving Ame in 2 hours, so we should preserve as much chakra as possible?"

There was silence. The one thing Sakura cherished the most. Silence. Peace.

"Well?"

She was aware that Kaimei-sensei was watching her every move out of the corner of his eye and listening intently, though he was pretending to be sharpening his already deadly sharp kunai. Sakura sighed.

"The training we just had wasn't meant to only test our abilities. Sure, Kaimei-sensei wanted to see if our skill level is high enough to even bother with the exams, but there was an even greater purpose of this activity."

"E-Even more important than our skill?"

"Yes, Umi-chan. Even more important. Remind me, Shi-kun, which way should a ninja_ never_ attack?"

"Head-on. This will get you killed." Shiso stated, exchanging curious glances with Umi.

"That's right. And tell me, Umi-chan, how _did_ we attack?"

"Individually, at different times."

"Correct. Now, knowing this, how do you think we _should have_ attacked?"

There was a pregnant pause. Kaimei was looking at the little pink-haired enigma with bewilderment.

_So she really is __**His**__ daughter…_

Twin gasps reached Sakura's ears. Two pairs of slightly surprised eyes stared into her own.

"_Together."_

Sakura smiled. They were much quicker in learning from their mistakes than Hidan or Deidara.

"Exactly."

"We're sorry Sakura-chan!"

"Now, now, it was my fault as well – I should've grabbed you by myself and not let you get into that position in which Kaimei-sensei could attack you at any given time. I'm not a saint either, you know." She winked, "Just so you know, sensei over there had planned this all along. If we failed to work as a team, he would send us back to the Academy, and we would have to wait for another year until we would be able to take the Chuunin Exams again. Isn't that right, sensei?"

Kaimei was stunned. Had this girl has just read his mind? Because that was exactly his idea! Don't get me wrong, Kaimei loved kids, just not arrogant, annoying brats who think they are beyond everyone else.

"Originally, yes, that was my plan. But seeing as you seem to have known about it from the very beginning, I will not send you back to the Academy. The analysing skills you showed just a minute ago are at least a Chunin level. Plus, you took the blame. All of you are good and ready for the Chunin Exams! So, are we leaving?"

_Blink._

_Blink._

_Blink._

"YAY! Thanks Kaimei-sensei!"

~::~

_**ALL DONE!**_

**A big Thanks to**___music1462 _**and **_ObitoU.4evrYoung_**!**

**Thanks guys!**

**Kaimei Chikara – 'Kaimei' literally means 'Darkness' and 'Chikara' means 'Power' when combined like this, they basically mean 'The Power of Darkness' or just 'Power of Darkness'**

**Umi Dansu – 'Umi' means 'Sea' while 'Dansu' means 'Dance' or 'Dancer' so loosely translated it would be 'Sea Dancer' or 'Dancer of the Sea'.**

**Shiso – In Japanese Romaji it means 'Shadow of Death'. I just found it somewhat fitting…  
>-.-<strong>

**~Ja ne**

**Invincible Shadow**


	4. I said STOP IT!

Sakura sighed. They were bickering.

_**AGAIN!**_

She raised her hands to her temples, sending soothing healing chakra to the throbbing muscle.  
>Kaimei-sensei glanced at her, jealousy evident in his eyes.<p>

Ah, so they were getting to him, too?

Well, too bad for him – she really didn't feel like helping him out of his sad, sad misery.

**Haha! I is evil! Be aware!**

_Inner… I'm ashamed that we are related._

**We are not related you dipshit! We are the same person!**

_Whatever…_

She sighed. She really needed to stop doing that.

Sakura growled quietly trying to block out her annoying teammates.

She chanted the 100 Most Important Shinobi Rules, even going as far as listing them alphabetically, from most important, from less important etc. when she finished that, she started on the history of the Seven Mist Swordsmen. Anything to keep her mind busy.

"- be so stupid!"

Sakura clenched her teeth.

**Mission: Block out my stupid teammates  
>Status: Epic <strong>_FAIL_**.**

_Couldn't agree with you more._

**AHH! I'm seriously going to pummel them 6 feet under, dig them out, reincarnate them, only to be able to kill them again, if they don't shut up this INSTANT!**

Agreeing that this was enough, she peered at Kaimei-sensei, only to see him looking back at her.  
>She nodded and then stopped running altogether.<p>

It took the bickering pair over 5 seconds to realize that she wasn't following them anymore. They came back shooting curious glances at her and their sensei.

***sigh*They're so oblivious…**

"What is it, sensei? Why did we stop?" Shiso inquired.

"Yeah. What the idiot said." Umi added.

"Guys… You seriously need to stop. You've been arguing for over two hours now. Just chill."

"But Sakura-chan! He/She said that my nature style is childish!" Both Genin exclaimed angrily.

"_I Don't Care!_" Sakura shouted, "I really don't care if Umi said that your Lightning is like playing with a light bulb, Shiso! And you, Umi-chan, if Shi-kun says that your Earth Release is like fooling around with mud, then you should show him just how lethal mud can be! I've been observing your actions and techniques ever since I first saw you two. You are both exceptionally skilled fighters with a lot of potential! Umi's Earth Release can be a perfect way to find and immobilise enemies, while Shi-kun's Lightning is a simple way of finishing them off! However, those talents can go to waste if instead of training hard and concentrating, all you do is think about what insult you haven't used yet! Do you see it now?"

Silence.

And then…

"Sakura-chan…?" Umi whispered, shocked.

Don't get her wrong – she is a natural when it comes to predicting people's movements and behaviour. The first impression she had of Sakura was a calm, collected, anti-social girl who was going to stand by the side and watch everything unroll itself in front of her, not even bothering to try.

Well, that was the first time her assumption was wrong. Her respect for the younger girl grew with every moment.

Kaimei-sensei grunted, drawing attention to himself. "Well now that this is sorted, shall we continue with the journey?"

**~::~**

**Finally! I swear, my head was going to implode! **

_Don't you think we were a bit too harsh on them…?_

**Harsh? Are you insane? They needed to realize that bickering like two-year-olds isn't going to get them anywhere!**

_Yeah, but still…_

**Stop worrying about that and worry about yourself! Your little harem isn't here anymore!**

_Ugh… I'm not sure if I should be overjoyed or upset… I'll surely miss Tobi-kun's hugs though._

**Tobi… Yeah, I'll most definitely miss **_**Him**_**…**

Her relationship with each and every Akatsuki was the most confusing relationship ever.

Let's see…

_Kisame_. The perfect older brother. He joked, pranked, played, tickled till she could just barley breath. They had fun together, swimming in the lake. He loved to throw her in when she wasn't looking, and when they went on missions together, they were evil. Laughing maniacally, he always could make her feel better. When he first sparred with her, he underestimated her. That ended up with him half-crushed by a boulder. Sad.

Tobi, She loved him brotherly too. He dragged her everywhere, constant hugs, though now most of them wouldn't walk by without wrapping her in a hug. He played with her, he also always knew how to make her laugh. Instantly taking her from sad to happy in any situation.

Zetsu, He taught her about plants. And his black side was also really nice to her, and found ways to make her laugh. They spent some time in the gardens or forest together every afternoon.

Kakuzu, He took care of her as well. Loved her, trained with her, and protected her. He perfected her already superb healing talents. Sometimes Kakuzu gave her money. For 'Important' things, he never asked.

Hidan. Ooooohh. He and Sakura were the fighting brother and sister. But they were very, very close. They shared secrets, He trained her in weaponry. They loved to go on a killing spree, whenever Kakuzu was cashing in.

Pein. Her father. Protector. Sometimes also executioner. He hated when she failed a mission and wasn't worried about expressing that hatred. And yet, she still loved him.

Konan. Her mother. Guardian Angel. Sometimes also Death Sentencer. When she screwed up on a mission, it was Konan who usually told Pein.

Sasori. He was a brother as well. A wooden brother, but a brother nonetheless. He was the one who perfected her chakra control to one even better than his own, and he taught her the basics of Chakra Strings and Puppetry.

Itachi, He was kind too. Another brother. They were the first ones up, and trained together until the others woke. They were very close as well, stealthy, sneaky. This came in handy, for pissing Hidan off.

Yet, there was something else between her and Itachi. A secret neither would dare to tell anyone.  
>Something much too important to throw away.<p>

**Ah, the good times… But now we must concentrate – we have a mission!**

"-kura? Are you with us?"

_What did you say about concentrating, huh?_

**Shuddup.**

"Hm? Yea, I'm alright. Why?"

Team 101 exchanged curious looks.

"Well, for starters, we're already by the Konoha Gates, and you looked like you didn't even notice…" Umi trailed off, letting Sakura figure out the rest.

"Ah, Gomen."

"It's quite alright, Sakura. There were no dangerous ninja on our tails, so nothing bad happened." Kaimei put in, "Okay, so we're staying in the Leaf Paradise which is a cheap inn by the city centre."

"Is that all, Kaimei-sensei?"

"Hai. You're dismissed. And you better sleep well – tomorrow is an important day!"

"Hai! Domo Arigato Sensei!" _**(1)**_

"Bye Saku-chan, Shi-kun!" Umi shouted as she bounced off to Kami-knows-where.

"Hm. Later, Sakura-chan, Sensei."

Sakura watched the retreating backs of her teammates and then turned to her sensei.

"Which room are we staying in? The idiots probably don't even know where the _inn _is. They will get lost easily."

Kaimei chuckled, "Coincidentally, we're staying in rooms 101 and 102. You'll be sharing with Umi." _**(2)**_

"Alright. Arigato, sensei. See ya tomorrow."

_**POOF!**_

_**~::~**_

– _**Domo Arigato – literally meaning 'Thank you very much'.**_

– _**I found it comical to write 101 – you know, Team 101 staying in the room 101, kinda cliché**_

_**~::~**_

_**It's all done! Yay!**_

_**Now, my awesome reviewers, be so kind and have a read through. **_

_**And I thank ObitoU.4evrYoung for the awesome idea of putting down the feelings Sakura has for each and every Akatsuki!**_

_**~Peace Out!**_


	5. Chunin Exams, Here We Come!

_**Ok, um, HI! : ) I want to thank **__ObitoU__**.**__4evrYoung__** for the grammar correction and **__animemusicnut__** for the enthusiastic response to my story and generally all the Faves and Story Alerts I received.**_

_**Sooo, on with the story!**_

…_**..**_

"_Shi-kun?"  
>"Hm?"<br>"You're an idiot."  
>"So I've been told…"<em>

…

"Mmmhm…" Sakura moaned quietely.

**Hey wake up! It's time for the Exam!**

_Inner… Shut up. It's too early to shout._

**Really? What would you say if I told you that it's already 8:30?**

_I would tell you to royally piss o- Wait! Did you say 8:30?_

**Yeah…**

_Fuck! We're almost late!_

**Well, move then!**

Jumping out of her bed as if she'd been burned, Sakura quickly collected her weapons, clothes and a little food.

Putting on her usual attire, she grabbed her pack and was almost ready to leave when she spotted Umi.

She.

Was.

Still.

SLEEPING!

**Wake her up, then!**

"Umi-chan."

"Mmm…"

"Umi-chan!"

"Hmmm… Two more minutes Mommy…"

"Umi-chan, Wake up!"

"Mmm… Shi-kun…"

**Shi-kun? Did she just **_**moan**_** his name?**

_Sure seems like it. I knew they had hots for each other._

"~Umi-chan! Wake up or I'll tell Shi-kun that you were moaning his name while asleep!"

"Hmpf… Whatever I don't ca – Wait a second, _**WHAT**_?"

The older girl jerked up as if she wasn't sleeping just two seconds ago.

"Relax, Umi-chan. Your secret's safe with me." Sakura teased, poking the older girl on the forehead.

"Sakura-chan, what time is it?"

Sakura glanced at the clock and paled. "Uh, 8:47."

Wait for it… 3…2…1…

"_**WHAT?**_" Umi screeched, "Fuck, I don't have time! The exam starts at 9:30! And we still have to register!"

"Well then, you better hurry." Sakura said calmly.

While Umi ran around the room searching for clothes and weapons, Sakura stood in front of a full-length wall mirror and admired her outfit.

She had to hand it to Deidara and Sasori – when it came to making comfy, but sexy clothes they excelled at it.

**Hun, we're freakin' sex on legs and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! **

She had to agree. Her outfit was simple, but boy, did it make her look gorgeous.  
>She wore a black sleeve-less V-neck shirt which was outlined with red and stopped just above her bellybutton, with red bandage-like belts wrapped around her abdomen. That together with a black skirt that ended mid-thigh, fish-net leggings and her black knee-length boots made her look intimidating but also fooled her opponents about her skill level. I mean, come on, how can a girl with <em><strong>PINK<strong>_ hair and a skirt harm anyone?

"Alright, Saku-chan, I'm ready. We can go."

"Finally, Umi-chan. But seriously, what were you dreaming about?"

Umi's face turned scarlet, "N-Nothing Sakura. A-Absolutely n-nothing."

Sakura smirked, "It sure didn't sound like it." She teased.

"Oh, shush! Ok, I like Shiso, happy now?"

"Very."

Then, as if she realised what she said, Umi paled. "B-But please don't tell h-him. I don't think I can survive rejection. Not now, anyway."

"Don't worry – I'm not going to tell a soul."

"Thanks."

**~::~**

"Ok, could someone enlighten me which room we're going off to? It's really confusing reading it all in Kanji!"

"Umi-chan…" Sakura sighed.

"What Sakura-chan means, you idiot, is that judging from the question you've just asked, you probably skipped a few years in the Ninja Academy."

"Hey! I didn't! I just found it absolutely pointless to pay attention!"

"Uh-huh… Sure Umi-chan."

Suddenly, Sakura sensed some weird disturbance in the air. "Guys… Is it just me or are we…?"

"It's not just you, Sakura-chan. Look at those fools, all queuing to get past those Genin." Shiso scoffed.

"Genjutsu…But why?"

"I don't know, Umi-chan. All I know is that those Konoha ninja are all good-for-nothing brats." Sakura retorted.

"I'm with you there. Ooh, that was a nasty punch!"

"Hm?"

The two girls turned their attention to the group that was standing in front of the door. They watched as a brown-haired girl with her hair in two buns caught her injured teammate and faced the two Genin who were guarding the door.

"Please let us through! We're supposed to go in there!"

"Pfft. Don't kid yourself. Delicate little girls don't belong here, so you better go home and play with your dolls."

"No! My team is taking the Exam, so I need to go through!"

Just as it looked that the other Genin was going to punch the Bun-Girl, Umi felt a swish of wind next to her. She turned her head only to see Sakura disappearing.

"Sak-!"

_**SLAM! **_

Gasps of shock and surprise were heard across the corridor as a small, pink-haired girl caught the Genin's fist and pinned it to the wall (creating a small crack in the said wall).

_Sakura-chan… You're too fast for your own good…_

"Punching a girl? And here I thought that casting such a pathetic Genjutsu was embarrassing enough."

The Genin was slightly shocked but he hid it under a mask of fake arrogance.

"Oh? Well, enlighten me, what else makes you think I'm embarrassing myself?"

"Hmm… Let me think…" Sakura put a finger to her chin in mock-concentration, "How about the fact that you're hiding under a henge?"

More gasps. God, these people are retards.

**I can see why Itachi-sensei left this shithole. I mean, seriously, even **_**Hidan**_** is smarter!**

"Interesting. Tell me, is it your first time taking the exam? You seem more confident than the other brats. Or maybe you're just arrogant."

Sakura pushed the boy's hand further into the wall, making the previous crack become a full-blown dent.

"You see, I'm confident because I have something to be confident _about_." As if for emphasis, she pressed his hand into the wall until he flinched.

"Now," she said turning to the brunette boy, "Be a good boy and cooperate. Release the Genjutsu."

"Kai."

Sakura smiled, "Thanks!"

**~::~**

"Sakura-chan, I knew you were vicious, but wasn't that a bit over-the-top?"

"Over-the-top?" Sakura echoed, "Why, whatever do you mean, Umi-chan? I didn't even fracture his knuckles!"

Umi sighed, but then brightened up, "So, I guess this is it, ne?"

When her teammates sent her questioning looks she giggled, "The big, bad Chunin Exams! We're ready for whatever is thrown our way!"

Shiso and Sakura shook their heads at the over-enthusiastic red-head.

"Seriously, where does she get the energy?"

**~::~**

"Now, we'll begin the first part of the Chunin Exams: The Written Exam!" A loud voice boomed across the room.

"Now that everyone's seated, I can explain the rules," started Ibiki. "You all will start out with 10 points. For each question you get wrong, or don't answer, one point will be deducted. You will be evaluated on a team basis, so that your combined score out of 30 will determine if you pass or fail. Also, for every time you are caught cheating by any of the Chunin you see seated all around you will result in a deduction of 2 points. And lastly, those who lose all their points, either by cheating or answering incorrectly will fail, along with their 2 teammates."

Sakura grimaced. Why did they pay so much attention to cheating…?

"Now, _**BEGIN**_!"

The sound of rustling paper and groans echoed throughout the room as Sakura concentrated on the paper in front of her.

_These problems…they are particularly advanced. I don't think many people in this room stand a chance at answering them correctly, though I believe I can at least. Still, something doesn't feel right. That examiner…there's some hidden meaning under what he said, I just know it. OK, think Sakura. What's unusual about this exam? Let's see…the questions are really hard, so people are going to be inclined to cheat. I guess it a really lucky thing, then, that the examiners only subtract 2 points instead of failing people like they…normally…do. That's it! _

As Sakura began answering the questions, she felt something flutter right next to her ear. She turned and saw that it was the paper butterfly she got as a present from Konan. She gave one to each of her teammates making it easy to communicate in troublesome situations. Sakura unfolded the note and smirked. It read:

_**So I see that you've figured it out, ne? I wouldn't expect any less from you, Sakura-chan. Umi-chan looks a bit lost, though. And I can't help her with my Nature Transformation or this, seeing as I've already instructed this butterfly to fly only to you.  
>-Shiso (But you've probably figured it out already).<strong>_

Sakura smirked. So, Shiso had figured it out too, huh? Well, that's really smart. She glanced in Umi's direction; she really did look lost. Damn.

_**So, Shi-kun, I've decided. I will help Umi-chan, just to have the satisfaction of imagining the Examiner's face when he realizes that our whole team had full marks. But don't you think it's a bit strange? They're saying that we will get the 10**__**th**__** question 15 minutes before the end. Isn't that a bit peculiar? Unless there's some hidden reason behind why they did that. Anyway, I'm going to help Umi-chan now. Send the Butterfly back when you've composed a reply. **_

Sakura quickly scribbled the answers to all the questions on the spare Paper Note she had in her pouch. Despite her confusion and rush, her neat, cursive handwriting was the same.  
>The note read:<p>

_**Umi-chan, Shi-kun suggested that I help you. Do not worry – the test was created so that you are forced to cheat, it's not just you. Now, Shiso and I are going to try and figure out just exactly what the Examiner is planning. I will inform you of anything unusual – all you have to worry about is the test. I'll be back.**_

_Now, let me think this through. They are subtracting only two points from the test if they see you cheat. We've already figured out why. Then there's that 10__th__ question. Why give it at the end? Why not now? Unless they're testing something else… Look at Ibiki… Didn't Itachi-sensei say that this man has gone through more torture and pain than physically possible…? But if you experience pain, you want to pay back with pain… No, that couldn't be it – they won't harm us, it's against the rules. But then, why? Except maybe it's not physical pain they're thinking about… Wait, that's it!_

**So, you finally understood.**

_You bet, Inner._

_**Shi-kun, I got it. Whatever happens on the 10**__**th**__** question, do not give in! don't listen to them! Shut them out! The man who's standing in front of you, Ibiki Morino, is Konoha's most fierce and strict shinobi. He's an interrogator. He threatens his opponents with physical pain. But, he won't harm us – it's against the rules. However, he will do something else. When physical pain fails, interrogators mess with the person's mind. They are masters in the art of mind-fuck. They will make you do and say things simply with a few well-chosen words. So; Don't. Give. In!**_

~::~

"Every one of you who'd stayed in this room: Congratulations. You've passed the First Exam!"

Sakura sent Shiso a knowing look.

~::~

"Ibiki-sama, we have a problem!"

"What is it?" The gruff voice of the interrogator asked.

"A team from Amegakure passed the exam…"

Ibiki arched an eyebrow, "So? Twenty six teams passed the exam – what's so special about this one? Ame has Genin too, you know."

"Ibiki-san, I'm afraid you don't see the gravity of the situation."

"Well, enlighten me, then."

The Chunin flinched. "What we meant to say was… That a team from Amegakura passed *gulp* with fuul marks."

"What? That's impossible!"

"W-We've checked their test papers. No question was left unanswered. We even think that, dare I say it, the Genin of the team had somehow commu-"

Suddenly someone burst through the door. "My apologies, Ibiki-sama, I believe there's something you might want to see!"

"Bring it in, Izumo."

Said Chunin inserted the cassette he was holding into its rightful place and pressed play.

"Concentrate on the person sitting in the 3rd row, seat number 24. What you're about to see it ingenious."

~::~

"Remarkable…" Ibiki murmured.

The Chunin gathered in the room were speechless. They saw everything – the Paper Notes, The test paper, the _contents_ of the Paper Note.

"The pink-haired girl… I want her file here."

"Yes sir!"

"Sakura, huh? Well, let's see who you really are." He flipped the file opened.

**Name**: Sakura  
><strong>Age<strong>: 12  
><strong>Skill<strong>: Incredible analysing skills, Medical Jutsu.  
><strong>Affiliation<strong>: Amegakure  
><strong>Ninja<strong> **Rank**: Genin, Mizukage's special Hunter-nin.  
>012601 <p>

"I-Incredible…"

"Wait," Kotetsu said, "So what you're trying to tell me, is that this kid is a Hunter-nin, even though she's not even a Chunin yet?"

It was meant to be an exclamation but it came out sounding more like a question.

"It seems so. Well, gentlemen, I believe we should leave it as it is. The case will unroll itself in front of our very eyes if only we act patient and wait."

"Yes Ibiki-sama."

"Dismissed."

_**POOF!**_

"Well, Sakura, you sure are an interesting one. Che. Very interesting indeed."

…

~::~

**FINALLY DONE!**

**Phew, this one took me 2 days.**

**2 Bloody days!**

**Hope you like it!**

_~You're fully capable of choosing your own destiny. The question is, which path will you choose? That decision is fully yours to make._

_~Invincible Shadow_


	6. Second Exam:Team Dosu is full of Retards

**Hi!  
>Sorry it took so long but I was shittin' kittens trying to fit some decent fighting scene in here, and I will let you know, it was a Bitch and a half. Ugh.<strong>

**But anyway, I would like to thank my awesome reviewers:**

_**Minato-kun Luver**_

_**AnimeLuver216**_

_**romancebookworm**_

_**music1462**_

_**SnowRoseofDeath**_

**Thanks Guys!**

**~::~**

"Okay, settle down you little brats! My name is Anko Mitarashi and I'll be your second examiner!" Murmurs and whispers were heard across the field. Everyone was either wondering why they were brought to this end-of-nowhere forest, or who on Earth would made someone as reckless and hasty as Anko a Jounin.

"Now, what you see in front of you is the place in which you'll be having your Second Exam. Just to warn you; there are 26 teams in front of me right now – I would be surprised if even 6 made it out of here alive."

Gasps were heard across the clearing.

**Seems like most of them didn't even have their first kill yet. Don't you think so?**

_Indeed. Otherwise they'd have known that every time a Genin group is sent out alone, there's a 66% chance that at least half will be eliminated. Interesting, isn't it – to die before you even have the chance to live?_

… **Hidan is rubbing off on you…**

_Whatever._

Suddenly, Sakura's heightened senses picked on some unusual chakra disturbance. She sent her own chakra to investigate what was wrong, but the moment she did, she felt an excruciating pain on the right side of her neck.

**~Sakura's P.O.V~**

I hissed slightly, my left hand shot out to grab my shoulder. The action caused Shiso and Umi to turn and give me a worried/curious look. I waved it off, but inside, my thoughts were a mess.

_What the hell? Why did it hurt all of a sudden? What is happening? Why am I feeling so helpless!_

**OUTER-CHAN! TAKE A FUCKING CHILL PILL!**

_*Sigh* You're right Inner. Sorry that I freaked out. It's just that… the last time I felt this was 7 years ago. When __**He**__ was still there…_

***Shudder* Don't remind me… But Itachi-sensei said that after he sealed it the pain would go away, didn't he?**

_Yes, but don't you remember? He said that although he sealed it in, the __**Mark**__ is still too strong and it will eventually eat the seal away. Especially if I get near __**Him**__…_

**Oh yeah…**

"Sakura-chan…?"

"Hm?" I asked distractedly.

"Sakura-chan, the Examiner had finished talking about two minutes ago…"

"And…?" I inquired, still too deep in my own thoughts to fully register what was going on.

Then I felt a small sting in my left cheek. The pain was enough to take rip me out of my thoughts, but not enough to cause discomfort.

"Shiso! You shouldn't have done that!" Umi screeched.

"No Umi-chan. Shi-kun, thanks. Sorry for spacing out on you guys." I looked around the clearing only to find it empty. "Eh? Where is everyone?"

Umi giggled. "Everyone is in the tent over there getting their scrolls. We were about to go get ours when we noticed that you were still in LaLa-Land and we didn't dare to snap you out of it." She glared at Shiso, "Well, at least _**I**_ didn't dare."

"Ah. Anyway, sorry for spacing out. Now, let's go get our scrolls!"

"Hai!"

**~::~**

Sakura and her team were situated in front of gate number 27, waiting for their Gate Guard to let them in.

"Come on, Come on, Come on!" Umi shrieked at the clock attached to the gate.

"Umi-chan, no matter how long you glare at it, the handle will not move quicker." Sakura stated calmly.

"Tch. Idiot."

"Shut up, Shi-teme!"

"Alright you little brats! The Second Exam has started. _**BEGIN!**_"__

**~::~**

"Sakura-chan… We've been traveling for over three hours now. We already have both scrolls, why not just head straight for the tower?"

"Umi-chan, we need to rest. We have 5 days for the exam and we've travelled 7 out of 10 kilometres. We can cut ourselves some slack, ne?"

"Sakura-chan is right, Umi. Don't overexert yourself."

"What! So now you're siding with her? I see how it is!"

"Umi-chan…"

"Shush you." She grumbled. "You guys are all dicks."

"And vaginas." Sakura pointed out.

Umi blushed and turned her incredulous stare towards her female teammate.

"What? Since we're listing the human intercourse organs and body parts I thought that it's better if we're being specific."

Shiso snorted.

Umi giggled.

Sakura smirked.

Ah, the good times…

**~::~**

_**::Meanwhile::**_

"Ah, Sasuke-kun. I see Itachi-kun knew what he was doing, leaving you there on your own after murdering your family… That's too bad. You sure seem to have potential. Those eyes of yours are just like his; so full of hate… and power."

"Get away from Sasuke-kun you monster!"

"Who is that, Sasuke-kun? Your girlfriend?"

"She's just a teammate." Sasuke ground out.

"So it doesn't matter if I kill her, does it? Good."

"No!" Sasuke shouted as he shot forward to block the kunai that was heading for his teammate and flinging it back at his opponent who gracefully side-stepped the nearing weapon.

"Ah, so you are going to fight me after all. All it took was a little motivation."

"I will fight you, if you answer my two questions."

The Snake Sanin smirked, "Ask away."

"Who are you?"

"My dear Sasuke-kun, they speak of me as of the devil himself… As I am… Orochimaru."

Sasuke didn't know what he should feel – hate, because this man knew his brother, anger, because he was withholding information or disgust at the creepy, rapist smirk that was plastered on his face.

"Then the second question," Sasuke hissed out, "_How do you know my brother?_"

"Kukukuku..." Orochimaru laughed, " Your brother is truly a unique one. And powerful at that. We were comrades for a moment, though I knew that he was suspicious of me since the very beginning. Such a pity… The last time I've seen him; he'd gotten himself an apprentice and was steadily pouring all his knowledge into the keen child. But it would be such a shame if I didn't have an input in that. The child now bears the same mark you're about to get. When you're writhing in agony, don't forget that the little girl went through the same pain at the innocent age of seven. Hope that this will help you survive. After all, what would people think if a small girl survived something an _**Uchiha**_ didn't?"

And at that moment, just as he finished speaking, his neck extended and he sunk his fangs into the young prodigy's neck.

"_Argh!_"

And he watched as Uchiha Sasuke fell to the ground, unconscious.

_I'll make sure we meet again, and when we do, I'll make you my weapon… _

**~::~**

**Time skip – The Third Day**

"Come on, Sakura-chan! We've already rested for too long! I want to get this over with!"

Shiso groaned. "Umi, where the fuck do you get this energy from?"

"Why, whatever do you mean, my dear Shi-kun?"

"Guys… I sense trouble…" Sakura whispered.

"Yes! I get to kick some ass!"

And Umi shot off, leaving the other two slightly paralysed Genin behind.

Shiso turned to Sakura, "Does she even know where she's going?"

"I don't think so, but I'm sure that she can sense the vibrations that are coming through the ground beneath her feet. She is a natural Earth Style after all."

"I sure hope you're right. Lead the way, Sakura-chan."

**~::~**

When Shiso and Sakura arrived at the clearing, the sight which greeted them was almost gruesome:

Umi, their precious teammate was currently holding her bleeding ear, trying to desperately dodge the attacks from the mummy-like Sound Genin.

Next to her, was the boy whom Sakura recognised as the Leaf Genin who she'd seen a few hours ago, when he was getting beat up by the Chunins. His name was something like Leo…Liam… Ah, now she remembered that it was Lee.

Then there was another Genin team – a platinum blonde who looked about ready to faint, a lazy-looking guy with a pineapple-like hair and a guy who was happily munching on bacon flavoured crisps… What the hell?

And finally, two unconscious figures were resting on the side, when she spotted them, her heart stopped.

**The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki… He seems to be out because of chakra exhaustion…**

_But the guy next to him… That evil chakra pouring out of him…There's no doubt. __**He**__ really _is_ somewhere around here…_

**Itachi-sensei is going to be pissed when he finds out.**

_Wait… That's only two Genin. Where's the third member of the team?_

**Hmmm… Oh, there she is!**

When Sakura turned to where her Inner pointed, she froze.

A short, brown-haired girl was holding onto one of the Sound ninja… By her teeth? While getting punched and kicked everywhere. After one particularly nasty punch, she went limp, her grip on the ninja loosening.

**Che. That's just sad.**

Suddenly, a scream ripped through the air.

"Umi-chan!" Shiso yelled.

_**::Sakura's P.O.V::**_

I turned back to my teammates only to find Umi being kicked in the stomach, flying backwards with enough force to break down trees. I saw Shiso jump down and catch her.

"Hn. Nice catch for a little brat like you." The female member of Team Dosu commented.

"What's your problem?"

"What's my problem? What's _**my **_problem? I will tell you – You are my problem. You and your little girlfriend. But now, step aside so we can kill the Uchiha."

"No."

"No? Well then, Zaku, take care of that idiot!"

"I will be bloody pleased. His little girlfriend had seriously pissed me off!" A creepy smirk crossed his face and he outstretched his arms.

"Decapitating Airwaves!"

_Shit! I can't let them get hit with that! If the air pressure came in contact with Shi-kun and Umi-chan from such a small distance it would surely kill them!_

**Well, then think! Concentrate Outer-chan!**

_I'm trying! Ugh, think Sakura! Wind is strong against Lightning but weak against… Fire! That's it!_

**~::~**

Everyone watched as the airwaves came closer and closer, sure that they would hit the target.

The Otogakure ninja looked smug. "Say Good-bye you little shit!"

But at the same time as he shouted it, someone else had shouted something else. Something that Zaku did not like the sound of.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

Everyone watched as a small pinkette landed in front of her teammates and breathed out an enormous flame which then served as a repelling shield against the airwaves coming from the Otogakure ninja. It was a battle of wills – a battle of elements. In a few seconds, it was clear that the fire was going to come out victorious.

Zaku was forced to jump out of the wave as the colossal flame literally _ate_ _through_ his Air. Still slightly dazed, the ninja tried to desperately regain his footing. However, Sakura had other plans.

Spinning around on her heel with the grace and agility of a ballerina, Sakura sent her fist flying towards the boy, the force of her chakra infused punch caused Zaku to go spiralling through the air, his back finally coming in contact with the tree trunk. The impact of the collision rendered the Otogakure nin unconscious.

"Hn. 1:0 for Amegakure. Nice." Sakura smirked and then turned to the female member of team Dosu. "Now, your turn."

Kin made a move to throw senbon at her, but Sakura deflected the weapons with a single swipe of her kunai. She then flung the knife at the Oto kunoichi, creating a distraction. While Kin was concentrated on dodging the weapon, Sakura advanced on her, delivering a swift round-house kick to the girl's abdomen.

"2:0. Sweet." Again, the smirk broke out on her face as she turned to face the last standing member. "Now it's your turn, Mummy-Man."

But Dosu seemed to have the most brains out of their whole group. Probably the reason why he was the leader.

"I apologise, but I have to refuse. I know that we will meet again, and when we do, I won't hold back."

He then walked over to his two fallen teammates and disappeared, leaving his Heaven Scroll behind.

"Tch. Mummy-Man is a wimp." Umi snickered.

Sakura turned to her teammate. "When did you wake up?"

Umi grinned. "I was awake the whole time. Nice show though, Sakura-chan."

"Hey, you."

Sakura turned around to face the (now conscious) Uchiha. "What do you want?"

"I will fight you for that scroll."

Sakura snorted. "In your condition? That would be insulting. Here, we don't need it anyway." She said, while tossing the scroll to the confused Sasuke.

"Now, since you've so magnificently kicked those Sound Ninja's asses, should we go to the Tower?" Umi asked.

"Yeah."

"Hell Yeah!"

**~::~**

**Hi! Sorry if the fight scene was crap, but as I've mentioned before, it isn't my strongest forte.**

**Question: do any of you have any idea who Orochimaru refers to when he says : "The little girl"?  
>Put your answer in your awesome review pwease!<strong>

**Ja ne~ **

**: )**


	7. The Kunoichi FaceOff! Part 1

_**A massive Thanks to all my reviewers! You guys seriously made my day!  
>Also congratulations to all of you who'd guessed correctly, Yes, the person who Orochimaru was talking about in the previous chapter was, in fact, Sakura.<strong>_

_**Thanks to:**_

_animemusicnut_

_music1462_

_Baka-no-desu-21_

_Kagome Monia and Akuma Neko_

_Yuuki-Hime 2097_

_Minato-kun Luver_

_SakuraHarunoxBleach_

_xXxMusicNCookiesxXx_

_**Because of you guys this chappie is going to be up earlier than I officially planned.**_

_**Oh, yeah, there's a link on my profile to my DeviantArt account and it has picture of how I want my two OC to look like. But, if you're a lazy-ass like myself, I'm putting up the link here too, so ll you have to do is just copy and paste it. Hope you like it!**_

.com/#/d4ce8el

_**Enough of Author's rumbling, time to start the story!**_

_**CHA!**_

**vVv**

Team 101 stopped in front of a wall. There wasn't anywhere else to go. They'd made it to the Tower in less than an hour after their battle with the Otogakure ninja.

"Okay… Does anyone else feel as if we're missing out on something?" Umi asked. She was tired as hell and pissed off at the stupid Mummy-like nin; he'd blocked her ear completely and although Sakura had healed it, she was helpless against the massive headache Umi got after an hour of relying completely on her left ear.

"For once I think you're right, Umi. Something doesn't feel right. What do you think, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura was staring intently at the board before her.

"Guys… I think we have to open the scrolls now…"

"_**WHAT?**_ Sakura-chan, are you crazy?"

"Umi, give her time to explain." Shiso said. "Go on, Sakura-chan."

"Look at the board in front of us." Sakura instructed. "If given a good read, the kanji translates into something like this: _If qualities of Heaven are your desire acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If Earthly qualities you lack, train your body, prepare to attack. If Heaven and Earth are opened together the pare less path will become righteous forever. _These are the words of the Third Hokage himself. They're not just hung anywhere – there must be something else to it than meets the eye."

Her teammates stared at her. "I…Don't get it."

Shiso scoffed. "Of course you don't get it! That's why you should shut up for a minute and let Sakura explain."

"Think about it; Heaven stands for your mind and Earth for your body. If you lack the ability to use your brain cells properly," she sent a pointed look to Umi, "Then you should make sure that you read and study every day, to fill in the gaps."

Umi pouted.

"However, if your weakness lies in your strength, then you should train your body in every way possible."

Shiso furrowed his brows. "That's all nice and dandy, but how will you prove your theory?"

Sakura smirked. "If you give me the scrolls, I will prove it."

Umi and Shiso exchanged nervous glances. "Alright."

~::~

_**POOF!**_

"Well, well, well. Seems like you figured it out, huh?"

"Kaimei-sensei? What are you doing here?" Umi screeched.

Sakura scoffed. "Summoning Jutsu."

"Correct as always, Sakura-chan. Well done. I am really proud of you all. Now, just wait."

"Wait! Sensei!" Shiso suddenly exclaimed.

"What is it, Shiso?"

"From what I'd gathered, you heard everything Sakura-chan said. Tell me, was she right?"

Kaimei grinned slyly. "Of course she was. And because she was right, she freed me of one of my duties – I was send here to do both things – explain what the writing on the board says… And one other thing."

A tense silence settled over the three of them.

"Well, what is it, sensei?"

"Deliver you the news that… You Pass!"

_Blink._

_Smirk._

_Stare._

"Oh, _HELL_ YEAH! I owned all of you! I pass! I'm so bloody awesome!"

Shiso and Sakura shook their heads.

"Where does she get all this energy from?" Shiso groaned.

"I don't know, Shi-kun… I really don't know…"

**~::~**

"Ok, you little brats! The Hokage has something he would like to share with you, so you better listen!"

While the Hokage was speaking, Sakura took her time to look around the arena.

_Woah… I can't believe it… Out of 78 Genin who took the Second Exam, twenty-four passed. That's_ _incredible. When I asked Itachi-sensei he said that when he took the exam, the number was in single_ _digits!_

**Yeah, but it's like Umi-chan said before – our generation is freakin' awesome, don't deny that!**

_Inner, you're too full of yourself._

**Really? Think about it, Outer-chan. It's like I told you before – you and I are the same person, so I know that somewhere deep, deep down you feel the same.**

_Hn. Whatever._

**Don't you 'Hn' Me!**

_Inner, the Hokage is saying something. Shut up._

"Now, Hayate Geko will be your examiner. When he finishes his explanation, you may begin."

Sakura watched as a man, maybe in his early twenties, stepped up. He looked ill.

"Now, we will begin the preliminaries."

A black panel slipped open. "The names of each pair of opponents are chosen completely at random. You will compete in one-on-one combat; the person who dies or is unable to continue will lose. Now let's begin. Match number 1 is…"

The names of each and every participant flashed up on the board. Match number 1 will be chosen in 3…2…1…

_Yoroi Akado vs. Sasuke Uchiha_

**Tsk. Good luck, Uchiha brat.**

**~::~**

The first and second matches were uneventful. Sasuke won his round with minor difficulties and the creepy Aburame kid won the second one.

**Heh, Zaku got his ass beat.**

_You mean his hands : )_

**You're in a surprisingly good mood, Outer-chan. Whatz up?**

_What do you mean 'What's up'? I get to kick some stupid Leaf Ninja ass, that's what's up!_

**That's the spirit, CHA!**

"Come on, Come on, I want it to be my match already!"

"Umi, shut up. You're scaring it away with your constant whining. Shush for a moment and it will come."

Umi quietened down.

"Now, I will announce the opponents that will fight in the Third Match."

The names once again started spinning.

"Come on you stupid board. Please?"

_Umi Dansu vs. Tenten_

"Hell Yeah!"

Umi jumped down to the arena, waiting for her opponent.

_Oh joy, she's the girl who was getting punched by that stupid Chunin. Che, she doesn't look like_ much _to me… But I will give her credit, just for the fun of it._

_**::No one's P.O.V::**_

"Since you are both ready, you may begin."

The kunoichi stood opposite each other.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Attack me already."

Tenten backpedalled.

_She wants me to attack her head-on? Is she crazy? Wait, those umbrellas on her back… I wonder_ _what they're used for. They can't just be for the protection from rain. If it was then she would only_ _have one… Though she is from Amegakure, judging by her headband. Yes, those umbrellas are_ _probably her only power. Che. But I will wait for her to attack. It will make life easier…_

"You're not going to even try to hit me? That's just sad." Umi scoffed, but then noticed the look her opponent was giving her, "Oh, you're assessing my strength? Smooth." She grinned, "Don't try to guess what those umbrellas are for. Save your energy. Because I'm going to give you a show!"

Umi threw one umbrella into the air above them, the other three staying safely strapped to her back.

"**Ninja Art: Senbon Rainstorm!**"

Hundreds of needles flew from the umbrella in all directions. Tenten jumped back, trying to desperately avoid getting hit and deflecting as many needles as she could with her kunai.

"It's pointless! You cannot escape! You might as well give up now!"

When the rain of senbon stopped, Tenten was holding her bleeding arm and panting slightly.

"Yeah? Well, I'm about to give you a show of my own!"

Tenten pulled out a scroll and jumped up. The scroll began spiralling around her, while she summoned weapons and threw them at Umi.

"A far-combat kunoichi? Well, this couldn't get any better!" Umi laughed.

Taking the other umbrella out, she unfolded it and held it above her.

"Pfft. If you think that just an umbrella can stop my weapons, you're sadly mistaken!" Tenten yelled at her.

"Who said anything about _stopping_ your weapons?"

Curious as to what the Amegakure Genin meant, the people watching leaned forward to have a better view. Gasps escaped some of them when the first kunai made contact with the umbrella.

Instead of piercing through the straw and injuring the kunoichi, the kunai stopped, hung there for a moment and then flew back with enough force to ebb itself hilt-deep in the wall.

The same happened to all the other weapons.

"_**WHAT**_**?** That's impossible! You haven't even moved!"

Umi smirked. "Like I told you before, this move was not meant to just merely _stop_ your weapons, per se. It was created to _repel_ them."

"But how?"

"Did you miss the fact that the handle of this umbrella is hollow on the inside? It's made so that I can channel my chakra through the handle and to the top, spreading it out evenly. The chakra hardens the straw and with a few good training sessions I learned to not only use my chakra to harden, soften or pull, but also push away – which is what you've just witnessed."

_That is incredible chakra control… To not only channel her chakra through an object, but also alter its_ _nature transforming and use it in your own way? I don't think even Neji could do this…_

Tenten clenched her teeth. Sighing in defeat, she pulled out two other scrolls she had in her pouch. If she was going to win, she had to give it her best.

**~::~**

Somewhere on the stands, Gai stepped back from shock, "She's planning to use _**that**_ jutsu already?"

"What do you mean sensei? Is our youthful TenTen going to use her _'special'_ jutsu?"

"Seems like that… **GO** **TENTEN**!"

**~::~**

"Che. Now you've got Bushy-Brows and your mental sensei supporting you. Just how _low_ can you fall?"

"Shut up! You will not disrespect me after I use _**THIS**_!" Tenten hurriedly placed the scrolls in an upright position on the floor and crouched between them. She started making hand signs and Umi struggled to follow because of the incredible speed.

_Tiger, Dragon, Monkey, Hare, Snake… Shit! Not good!_

"**Twin Rising Dragons**!"

_Oh boy…_

**~::~**

Sakura watched as the Konoha kunoichi jumped up, spinning around inside the scrolls, summoning as many weapons as she could.

_Well, Umi-chan, let's see how you'll get out of this one._

**~::~**

_Damn it… This isn't good. I guess I have to use __**that**__ jutsu… It will protect me, but it will eat a shit-load of my chakra. What to choose… Hm…_

"Say Good-Bye to your teammates! When I finish you'll look like a hedgehog!" Tenten yelled.

"Not if I can block it!" She started making hand signs, "**Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison Dome of Magnificent Nothingness**!"

_I created this move in hopes of using this against you… I sure hope you're watching… Shi-kun._

With that in mind, Umi let the darkness of the dome she'd created engulf her completely.

**~::~**

Back in the stands, a certain chocolate-haired Ame Genin was staring at the scene below him with disbelief evident in his eyes.

Sakura, seeing this, smirked. "Do you still think that Earth Release techniques are like playing with mud?"

Without taking his eyes off the duel, Shiso slowly shook his head from side to side.

_**No.**_

_Is this really Umi…? Was she really this powerful all along, but I was just too blind to notice…? Now it makes me wonder what else she is hiding under that goofy grin of hers._

"Shi-kun, the reason that Umi-chan looked weak to you before is because she **wanted** you to see her as weak. She wanted you to see that people aren't always what they appear to be. Do you see it now?"

_Oh yes, he definitely saw it…_

**~::~**

"Hokage-sama? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Anko. I was just wondering how a mere Genin can use such a highly advanced technique, without a Kekkei Genkai nonetheless. I would even say that this technique is more powerful than even the Fireball Jutsu used by the old Uchiha Clan. Perhaps a B-Rank technique?"

"B-But Hokage-sama! Such a technique coming out of a mere Genin is impossible to achieve!"

"Is it now? Then perhaps you would like to tell me; What exactly are we seeing right now?"

Anko was unable to answer.

"That's what I thought."

**~::~**

Back on the battlefield, Tenten was having a hard time getting past the Earth dome, even though she was using her special technique.

_What's the meaning of this? Every time I hit it the barrier just seems to be able to __instantaneously_ _reform. How can she __**do**__ that?_

Just then she realised that she did not have any more weapons to summon – the scroll could only fit so much knifes.

When Umi felt that seemingly never ending assault on her dome of safety, she lowered the barriers letting it sink back into the ground. "What's up? You run out of stuff to throw at me? That's truly pathetic."

Unbeknownst to her, this was exactly what Tenten was waiting for. While still in the air, her opponent grinned. Bad sign number 1.

Then, by quickly pulling back her hands, using ninja wire Tenten drew all her weapons back up and held them in the air.

"You wish! Now, since you have nothing to use as protection, prepare to lose!"

_**SHIT!**__ I don't have enough chakra to create that dome again! I don't know what to do! Shit! Shit! Shit!_

She kept her inner freak-out up for a millisecond more, before finally coming back to her senses.

_**NO!**__ I refuse to panic, not now, not ever! Although I have not yet used it in battle, the current_ _circumstances require me to use my newest jutsu… This will be fun._

She saw it.

Everyone saw it.

The kunai knifes were getting closer and closer – in a matter of seconds they were going to reach her.

_I never lose. And if I do lose, I lose with dignity. That's my Nindo, and I shall follow it right till the end._

"**Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!**"

That was it. Umi watched as the indestructible wall rose between her and Tenten, effectively blocking the barrage of weapons which were heading her way.

She smirked.

"Now, I let you entertain me for long enough; time to end this match. And this time, I end it for good!"

She pulled out her second umbrella. This one was the most lethal of all the four she possessed.

"This move again? Give me a break!"

Umi giggled. "**Ninja Art: Senbon Rainstorm: Unavoidable Destruction Technique!**"

_Here we go again…_

**~::~**

Sakura grinned. Finally Umi decided to stop toying with the bun-haired kunoichi and end the match. Thank Kami.

Her opponent didn't have a snowflakes' chance in Hell to get out of that one. When Umi went serious, she was serious.

The attack itself was basically a combination of the other three – plain needles, senbon dipped in poison, and the last on was Sakura's favourite: an exploding tag wrapped around the needle which would detonate when the user sent out his or her chakra. A neat trick she learned from Umi.

**~::~**

"Agh!"

"Being on the receiving end of this attack has never done anyone good – if my plain needles don't hit any vital organs, the others with poison will slowly torture you and immobilise you. If you find a way to extract the poison, I will send out my chakra and the Exploding Tags will blast you into oblivion. In other words: you're fucked-up in more ways than one."

Finally, the rain of needles stopped and Tenten fell to the floor, barely conscious. Umi walked up to her.

"My abilities might not be as incredible as my teammates', but for trash, you have to admit, I'm a damn amazing piece of trash."

Then, Tenten let out a small smile, before letting the darkness take over.

She blacked out.

Umi won.

"As one of the participants is unable to continue, I hereby declare Umi Dansu as the winner of the Third Match."

"Hellz Yeah!"

**~::~**

"Well done, Umi-chan.

"Yeah, well done Umi." Shiso fiddled with a strand of his hair, a habit he'd picked up from his mum.

"Could I talk to you please?"

Sakura grinned. So, her teammates were growing up.

~::~

**Finally done!**

**Review please and sorry for the long wait!**


	8. The Kunoichi FaceOff! Part 2

**I'm Back!**

**Once again, thanks to my awesome reviewers:**

_**CrazySakuraHarunoXD**_

_**IKillatFirstsight**_

_**TDI-Ryro-Eclares**_

_**Yuuki-Hime 2097**_

_**Midnight Shadow Ghost**_

_**Little-Retard**_

**Also, thanks to **_**music1462**_** and **_**animemusicnut **_**who had literally reviewed EVERY-FREAKIN'-CHAPPIE I WROTE!  
>Thanks!<strong>

**Now, on with the story!**

**vVv**

_**Kunoichi Face-Off!  
>Part 2<strong>_

**vVv**

Sakura sighed. These Konoha ninja were truly pathetic. The only match that she'd seen so far which wasn't an epic fail was that Suna nin's match against Misumi. What was his name again? Kanky? Kankuo?

**Kankuro. Get a grip, Outer-Chan.**

_Pfft. Come on, Inner, how do you expect me to remember the name of a guy who wears freaking face-paint?_

…

_But I'll give it to him, he is a pretty good close and far range fighter._

It was Inner's time to scoff.

**Come on, he's a puppeteer – puppeteers are **_**bound**_** to be awesome. Just look at Sasori.**

_You've got a point. But then, that Arianne girl from the Kyuubi's team – she was pathetic! If throwing kunai was her only ability then she might as well give up being a ninja altogether!_

**Too true. But look now, the two Hyuugas going against eachother? This oughtta be interesting.**

_Hellz yeah._

**God, we're starting to sound like Umi-chan. By the way, where the hell is she?**

_With Shi-kun. He probably wanted to apologize and make up._

**Don't you mean make **_**out**_**?**

… _That too._

**I knew it!**

**~::~**

The match was surprisingly… Cruel.

Most of the adult shinobi in Konoha knew why Neji hated the Main Family so much, but going as far as to almost incapacitate his own cousin? That was a bit too far, wasn't it?

"Neji-niisan, i-it's you who are wrong. You're the one who is so blinded that y-you can't s-see what's right in front o-of you. Just o-open your eyes, N-Neji-niisan… Just for once."

"Why you-!"

But he never got to land the final blow. All the Jounin senseis had prevented him from doing so.

And now, when Sakura watched the paramedics carry Hinata away, she knew where Neji was coming from.

_Loneliness.  
>Solitude.<br>Pain._

**~::~**

_Ino Yamanaka vs. Sakura_

**Hell yeah! Finally it's our turn to kick some Leaf-ninja ass! Come on, Outer-chan, aren't you excited?**

_More than you know._

Quickly changing the small smirk which had blossomed on her face into a look of absolute boredom, Sakura stuck up her two fingers and let a small cyclone of wind engulf her completely.

She snickered as she noticed the scared look that ghosted over the younger kunoichi's features. It helped to heighten her already quite big self-esteem.

Sakura turned to the proctor, "Is she coming down or what? According to rule number 23 in the Shinobi Codex, if a ninja is unable to fight or backs out, the opponent wins, correct? So I guess that there's not really a point in me even standing here since she's already too scared to-"

"No way in _**HELL**_ you Pink-Bitch!"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. Then the corner of her lips twisted into a maniac-like smirk.

"Oh? Well then, maybe my opinion of you was right when I saw you in The Forest of Death – you really are a blonde bimbo with no sense of self-preservation."

She took satisfaction in the pissed-off look in Ino's eyes and felt slight blood-lust take over her. She was out for blood and she knew it. Well, blood and self-satisfaction.

But then, just as she thought that she would greatly enjoy irritating the blonde until she snapped, the voice of her sensei back at home echoed through her mind.

'_Remember Sakura, I know that your training with Hidan and the __**Curse Mark**__ made you a bit more blood-thirsty than I would have originally wished, but I also know that the training you went through with me when you learned to control your emotions should keep that blood-lust intact, but if it ever came out at a wrong moment, create a distraction - concentrate on one emotion, meditate, achieve Inner Peace… I know you can do it.'_

Sakura breathed in then out.

_Inner Peace. Distraction. Meditation. _

**Right-o.**

_*Sigh* I was so looking forward to beating the blonde bimbo six feet underground._

**Damn. But Itachi-sensei's word is law, and you know it.**

_Yeah… _

Her eyes flew in hand signs, too quick for the naked eye to follow, and a moment later it seemed as if nothing had changed and Ino was still throwing profanities at her.

Sakura grinned.

Now, not only could she observe and evaluate her opponent's attacks, but now she could also concentrate on calming down that overwhelming feeling to rip the blonde's head off.

_Thank Kami-sama for Shadow Clones…_

**Hm… Shadow Clones aren't bad, but explosive clones are better… so, how about a bit of our dear Dei-kun's magic?**

_Inner, you're a __**GENIUS**__! _

Then, quickly preforming a couple of handsigns, Sakura smiled, satisfied with herself. She laughed soundlessly. _Yes_, she thought, _sitting atop of the monument with your chakra masked and letting your Explosive Shadow Clone do all the dirty work for you __**is**__ the best way to get out of sticky situations._

**Hell Yeah.**

**~::~**

For the onlookers, nothing changed on the battlefield; Ino was still bitching at the pink-haired Ame Genin, who in turn was examining her nails and looking as bored as you can get.

No one apart from Anko and the Hokage felt the sudden spike of chakra when Sakura created the clone.

Hiruzen's eyes widened.

_She managed to create a Shadow Clone, which in itself is a high-level technique, and then teleport herself away with incredible precision all in the space of a __**second**__? But how…? That level is too advanced for __**any**__ Genin or even __**Jounin**__ to do! Pulling the Teleportation jutsu off so flawlessly is almost impossible – you can never __**completely**__ predict where you will end up… And the kid masked her chakra as well, so now even if the Yamanaka is capable of sensing chakra signatures, she won't be able too. Kami above, even I can't sense her… But, if I can't sense her, then I will just have to look for her._

As the Hokage scanned the arena, he couldn't see the girl anywhere. She wasn't on the ground. He doubted that she was _under_ ground.

"Hokage-sama… Did you…?"

"Yes, Anko, I saw it too. But as you probably might have noticed, the girl's chakra is masked – so much so that even I can't sense her."

"Then if I can't sense her…" Anko began, "I will just have to use the old fashioned way and simply _look_ for her!"

…

_Gasp._

_Slight widening of eyes._

_Grin._

"Well, Hokage-sama, I guess Ibiki wasn't kidding when he said that this one was special…"

"Indeed."

**~::~**

"I will destroy you!" Ino roared as she ran full-speed at the Shadow Clone. Screaming out of frustration when it dodged, Ino began attacking with basic taijutsu moves.

_Punch._

_Dodge._

_Kick._

_Punch._

Over and over again. Finally, after about five minutes, Sakura had a basic idea of her opponent skill.

When Ino ran a her clone once again, it simply side-stepped and stuck its foot out, making Ino trip over and skid a good few meters more. Instantly, the clone took out five kunai and lodged them at Ino giving her barely enough time to roll away.

Just as Ino stood up, Sakura's clone lunged at her, delivering a particularly nasty punch to her abdomen. A few of the onlookers flinched.

Ino was panting by now, eyes slightly wide.

"H-How..? A few seconds ago, I was able to easily match your movements… What the hell did you do?"

Sakura's clone laughed. "_You_ were able to easily match _my_ movements? _You_? I think it's the other way round, Blondie. I was just checking how advanced your taijutsu was. What you went against, was _my __**worst**_ taijutsu and defence."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "_WHAT THE __**HELL**__? THAT INO CHICK COULD __**BARELY**__ KEEP UP! HOW COULD IT BE HER __**WORST**__ DEFENSE?_"

Sakura chuckled, but then her eyes turned serious. "I don't want to hurt you anymore than necessary, therefore, I advise you to forfeit. I am not known for having a soft side – when my enemies are stubborn, I kill them. Simple."

All the rookies held their breath.

"W-What do you mean..? You haven't actually killed anyone yet…right?"

To their surprise, a dark, cold laugh escaped the pinkette's throat. "Haven't killed anyone yet? Oh that's a good one!" she chuckled. "I was sent on my first assassination mission when I was five."

Silence.

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

Sakura scoffed. "Konohagakure ninja of this generation are weak, mainly because they had never experienced war. You don't know what to do when you're faced with the choice that could change your entire life. You don't know how to ignore your conscience. You don't know the main rule of survival – Kill, or be Killed." She closed her eyes. "But I do."

…

**Sorry it's so short guys! I'm getting ready for the half-term, so I will try to update more, OK?**

**Ja Ne!**


	9. The Kunoichi FaceOff! Part 3

**OK, I'm back and ready to update! Though I've only got about 35 reviews so far, would you guys help me with hitting the 50 mark? It would make my day, seriously.**

**But now, back with the story!**

**Recap:  
><strong>_Sakura scoffed. "Konohagakure ninja of this generation are weak, mainly because they had never experienced war. You don't know what to do when you're faced with the choice that could change your entire life. You don't know how to ignore your conscience. You don't know the main rule of survival – Kill, or be Killed." She closed her eyes. "But I do."_

**VvV**

**Kunoichi FaceOff! Part 3!**

**VvV**

Silence overtook the arena; the only sounds were Ino's loud pants and the blood that was steadily dripping down to the floor from her bloodied arm.

"There's (_pant_) no way (_pant_) in hell that you could've (_pant_) already killed someone. It is an unspoken rule, but a rule nonetheless: little kids are not supposed to start training till the age of four. They're not meant to be released onto the battlefield until completing the Ninja Academy. From (_pant_) what I know (_pant_) you have skipped out three years (_pant_) which you were meant to spend in the Academy. You don't have an excuse."

Sakura clapped her hands in mock sincerity, "Well done! You've used at least two big words! I'm so proud!"

She could hear Shiso's snort of amusement and Umi's giggles back in the stands behind her clone.

Ino growled. "IT IS NOT POSSIBLE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE KILLED ALREADY, DAMMIT! SO TELL ME, **NOW**!"

Sakura sighed. "Alright."

Ino's eyes widened.

"I said what I'd said before, because it's the truth. You have never experienced war. I have. I believe that during your time at the Academy you had studied the different Ninja Villages. Therefore, you should also know that most of the wars were fought in Amegakure. They weren't as important as the First or Second Shinobi World War, but they were wars nonetheless – they caused pain, suffering, death and destruction. I was only five. Walking through the village, minding my own business. But it turned out that it was probably the last time anyone could be at peace in the village…"

_**Flashback**_

_Little five-year-old Sakura was walking through the streets of Amegakure, when she heard a small commotion unravel itself in front of her. Two ninja with Kumogakure headbands stared at her. _

Uh oh. Otou-san said that we're currently at war with Kumo. Not good.

_One of the ninja hurled a kunai at her and she just barely dodged. The ninja laughed._

"_Let's take the brat – she might know where __**it**__ is."_

"_Control yourself, Mizuni. She's just a kid. No way will she ever know of the Mizukage's special scroll."_

"_Hm, maybe you're right. But that just means that I can kill her quicker!"_

_The younger man, Mizuni, lunged at her, his hands flying in hand signs. __**"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon!"**_

_Sakura whimpered. The speed at which the dragon was coming at her was too quick for her to dodge. _

_She was going to die._

_But then, just as she accepted the thought, something burned at her insides._

No! I refuse to give up! That is my Nindo and I will follow through it till the end!

"_**Water Style: Water Wall!"**_

_However, her jutsu wasn't strong enough to relinquish the flame completely – she was just a five-year old after all. But she wasn't going to give up without a fight. Just then, a voice rang through the clearing, loud and clear._

"_**Boil Release: Skilled Water Mist!"**_

_And young Sakura watched as the gas not only blocked, but destroyed the fire, also reaching the two men. She concluded that the vapour had something corrosive in it, as the ninjas' skin turned red and they screamed in pain._

_She spun around to see who her saviour was, only to be met with a pair of confident, light green eyes._

"_M-Mizukage-sama…?"_

"_Sakura. Glad to know you could hold your own. Listen, little one, I have something important to tell you. You are a smart child, therefore I believe that you have already figured it out. We're being attacked." The Mizukage's voice became steely. "I need you to do something for me."_

_::_

_Sakura stood in the large clearing, the secret scroll gripped tightly in her left hand. Her clothes were ripped and bloodied, but that was nothing compared to the state in which the four Kumogakure Chunin were currently in. _

**Dead**_._

_**End of Flashback.**_

_All apart from one… Aoi, you bastard._

The glazed over look slowly disappeared from her eyes as she faced her flabbergasted opponent once again.

"I- but- this… How-?" Ino's dumbfounded expression finished the question for her.

Sakura's clone, however, didn't have time to answer. So, swiftly, without a single second thought, it threw one of her special kunai at the blonde, instantly teleporting behind her, and delivering a harsh kick to the blonde's spinal cord.

Everyone watched as Ino flew across the arena, her back hitting the opposite wall.

_What an inhumane strength… All in the body of a single child._

Coughing, Ino stood up shakily and stared at Sakura.

"W-Why do something like that? You could've easily gotten killed! What, does your village send kids onto the battlefield to get killed on a daily basis? That's pathetic!"

In a blink of an eye, Sakura's clone was in front of her, a kunai held in her small hand.

"Don't you ever," she seethed, "Ever, do that again."

Ino blinked. Do wht?

"I could stand you mindlessly insulting me. I ground my teeth and ignored when you doubted my teammates' power. I imagined your bloody, gory death when you laughed at my looks. But the _second_ you insulted my village, you've crossed the line."

Her kunai came at the blonde faster than one can say 'Pass', but the bimbo's reflexes saved her anorexic little ass.

Then, Sakura's clone smirked.

Ino's eyes widened.

The clone stuck up its two fingers.

"**Clone Great Explosion!"**

_**BANG!**_

::

"Well, that was pretty boring."

In an instant, all heads snapped to the source of the voice. Jaws dropped. Eyes widened.

Up on the monument, at the very top of the two fingers, sat the pink-haired Ame Genin who'd just a second ago 'spontaneously combusted'.

Ino chocked on her own blood, her beaten, bruised body barely moving. "H-How…?"

Sakura laughed. "The 'Sakura' you were fighting was never the real me. It was a clone from the very beginning. Call it the cowardly way of fighting, but I find it convenient."

Just before Ino passed out, she muttered a single word. "Incredible."

…

Silence…

…

More Silence…

…

"*Cough* Since her opponent is unable to continue, I declare Sakura of Ame as the winner of the seventh match."

"Hellz Yeah!"

::

**I'm done! Once again, sorry it's so short.**

**Oh, I'm going for holiday so I'll try to upload as much as I can… Heh.**

**Laterz!**


	10. Not As Rutheless As You Think

_**Thanks to:**_

**animemusicnut**

**Black-footed**

**Sakuraloveblosom**

**music1462**

**Black Wolf Lady**

**Minato-kun Luver**

**Weasel-Scarecrow Luvrs**

**BlueSkyKite**

**~::~**

"Well done, Sakura-chan. Though I never sensed you transporting; how did you do it?" Kaimei asked when Sakura got back to the stands.

Sakura reached inside her pocket and pulled out a single kunai. "See this?"

Umi looked at it curiously, "Yeah, we do. But what does it have to do with anything?"

Sakura smirked. She ran her fingers over the rough surface of the handle, and muttered something. A second later, a miniture cloud of smoke engulfed the knife and what previously seemed as a normal kunai, now had some foreign writing on it.

Kaimei inhaled sharply. "You used these? But how?"

Umi looked between her sensei and her pink-haired teammate, a confused look in her eyes.

Shiso sighed.

"Those are the famous **Thunder God** kunai of the Fourth Hokage _himself_. They were thought to have been destroyed. But, as you can see, Sakura _still_ has them _and_ has learned to use their power to her advantage."

Umi's jaw dropped.

"Well, shit."

**~::~**

Sakura watched the Kyuubi's match intently. It wasn't all that hard to pick out his flaws and strenghts.

His brain cells are... dead, to be honest. But his determination could rival that of Deidara's. Interesting character, isn't he?

_Very interesting indeed. Interesting, but weak.. It seems that although his determination is strong, his only weapon is the Shadow Clone Technique. And it's not the quality of the clone..._

It's the quantity.

_And that never works, does it._

Nuh-uh.

**~::~**

Sakura watched the Sand-ninja's match with worry. He was strong in chakra, but weak in spirit – his strength came from the bloodlust Shukaku planted within him and it was steadily ruining his life.

The Primarily Lotus technique that Lee used on him should have killed him, but there he was, lying on a mattress of sand, his armour cracked.

Lee was in no better condition. Sakura overheard the boy's sensei say that the Lotus causes a great deal of damage to the body; ripped muscles, broken bones, shortened lifespan.

It's an almost suicidal technique.

But now, as she saw Gaara outstretch his hand once again, only one thought passed through her mind.

Uh-oh.

"**Sand Cofin!**"

"_Agh_!"

It was petrifying. Seeing Lee's right side get completely crushed.

Before anymore harm could be done, Maito Gai jumped onto the arena and stopped the match. The Sand ninja had won.

Before she registered what she was doing, Sakura jumped down and joined the five jounin who had gathered. They turned to her curiously, before Asuma, Ino's sensei, slid in front of Lee defensively.

She couldn't blame him, really. After seeing what she did to Ino, it was no wonder he was slightly wary of her.

Even though, she continued walking forward until she was no more than two meters away from Lee. She looked up at the jounin.

"I mean no harm."

None of them seemed convinced, so, with a sigh, Sakura concentrated chakra in the palm of her hand and pushed it away.

It was one thing she'd learned from Kakuzu; the ability to use the Mystical Palm Technique from a distance.

The jounin watched, half taken aback, half awestruck, as her chakra connected with Lee's chest.

"What are you doing to my student?" Gai croaked out.

Sakura regarded him with a cool gaze. "Assessing the damage that has been done to his body and recreating the internal tissue and regenerating the body cells."

"How do we know that you're telling the truth and not just worsening his condition?" Kakashi asked.

The pinkette snorted. "And what good would it do me? Ame is not at war with Konoha, so I am not obliged to inflict damage on every Konoha ninja who I come across. I am not as heartless as you may think."

Still, even though what Sakura said was perfectly logical, they couldn't help but have their doubts. After all, how can someone who was so rutheless on a battlefield a mere few minutes before _not_ be a heartless killing machine?

She sighed. They were so damn stubborn!

"Fine." Sakura bit out. "Look at his left cheek. Do you see that wound?"

Kurenai nodded for them all. "Now, keep your gaze trained on that small cut and see what happens."

Without answering any of the questions they might have wanted to ask, Sakura moved the stream of chakra to Lee's bleeding cheek. Gai stiffened slightly when the chakra covered his student's mouth.

"Relax. Chakra is not a state of matter. It can't suffocate him." Sakura assured him. "Did you see the wound before?"

_Five Nods._

"Look now."

_One gasp._

_Two pairs of widened eyes._

_One incredulous stare._

_One curious gaze._

The wound was **gone**.

Sakura turned to Gai. "I assume that you're his sensei."

Gai nodded.

"Then you're the one I will tell - I fear for the worst."

_Tear-filled eyes._

"Without the most advanced medical attention, Lee will _survive_, but he won't be able to _ever_ be a shinobi again. His right side is completely crushed. All his muscles are ripped and shredded. Multiple of his ribs are fructured or broken. You'd need a bloody miracle for all of this to _heal_ and then _properly_ function once again."

_Five incredulous stares._

"I'm sorry."

With that, she walked away.

**~::~**

"And now, the final match: the last participant left, versus the genin who had the shortest win. Therefore, Shiso No Ame and Dosu Kinuta, come down for your match!"

"Yeah, go on Shi-kun! Kick that prick's ass!" Umi cheered.

Sakura looked at her teammate with a half smile. "Good luck, Shi-kun. Make us proud."

"Arigato, you guys. See ya in a few."

"Are you both ready?" Hayate asked for the final time.

"As ready as I will ever be." Dosu replied.

"Yeah."

"Then, let the twelveth and final match Begin!"


	11. Proving one's worth: Shiso's Style!

**OK! Sorry I didn't update in like, a week, but I was abroad for the half term, and the last chapter I wrote was on my grandma's shitty computer. **

**Now, onto the much nicer things, I'VE REACHED THE 50 REVIEWS TARGET! THANKS GUYS!**

**Right now, in the top-right corner of the page I see exactly 50 reviews! It's so awesome!**

**Moving on, Let's continue with the story!**

**~::~**

_**Proving one's Worth: Shiso's style.**_

**~::~**

"Then let the twelfth and final match begin!"

Hayate's voice echoed throughout the arena. Those who were left watched curiously. None of them apart from those who were on his team, knew anything about Shiso's fighting style. All they knew was that he was on the vicious pinkette's team, therefore, there is a 50-50 chance that he is in some way vicious too.

_Touché_.

However, even though the match had begun, none of the two moved a muscle.

Then, Dosu broke the silence.

"You'd seen what my _Melody Arm_ did to Fatty. Unless you wish to share his fate, forfeit and don't make me waste my chakra."

Shiso snorted. "The reason your previous opponent lost, was not because he was too weak, but because you had already seen his technique, and had plenty of time to analyse it. However, now, it's _you_ who is in the dark about _my_ abilities, while I had already seen yours. There are always two sides to a coin. You're about to experience the less fortunate one."

"You're defending someone whom you don't even know. What respectable ninja does that?"

Shiso smirked. "I wasn't defending anyone. I was distracting you. Look over your shoulder."

Surprised, Dosu looked over his shoulder, only to find a Shadow Clone smirking at him.

That one second of surprise was all Shiso needed. Quickly thinking ahead, he took out a flash bomb and threw it between himself and Dosu.  
>An explosion of blinding white light engulfed the battlefield.<p>

**~::~**

"Wha-! Where are they?"

"Umi-chan, relax. Shiso knows what he's doing." Sakura reassured her friend.

"If you say so."

And sure enough, a second after she said that, Shiso reappeared, high up in the air dragging Dosu with him by his scarf. They could see a small trickle of blood dripping down from Shiso's left ear.

Not good.

Although it's common knowledge that when you're captured you should escape, Dosu didn't seem to be making any effort to escape or even _move away_ Shiso's grasp.

However, it seemed that he wasn't doing it on _his own accord._

"Wh-What is this? I can't move!" Dosu exclaimed.

Sakura smirked.

_Finally. Show us what you've been hiding away all this time. Make us proud, Shi-kun._

Shiso chuckled. "Of course you can't move. I used the **Body Pathway Derangement** technique on you. I would be surprised if you _could_ move at _all_."

Without saying anything else, Shiso suddenly let go of his opponent and jumped to the ceiling, sticking to it with his chakra.

Taking out a cord of ninja wire, he attached it to a kunai, then throwing said kunai at Dosu.

To everyone's surprise, it didn't hit Dosu. It _wrapped around him._

Quickly taking out a second kunai, Shiso looped the opposite end of the wire through the hole. Grabbing the kunai, he lodged it in the ceiling, making a sort of anchor for himself and Dosu, the end of the wire held tightly in his hand.

The people watching were suddenly _**very**_ curious.

**~::~**

_Kami-sama, please let this work. _

With that in mind, Shiso jumped down to stand back on the floor. He inwardly did a victory dance when he saw that his opponent was tangled in his wire strings. Just like he planned.

It took time, but the technique had worked – the kunai he'd looped around Dosu held him in place; exactly in the middle from the floor to the ceiling.

Now, all that was left was to do the final move. The move which would distinguish the winner of the match.

**~::~**

"Why is he just standing there? Do something Shiso!"

"Umi, **SHUT** **UP**!"

_Silence._

"Sorry. You were starting to piss me off. And as far as I'm concerned, you're the Earth Style user in here – channel your chakra into the ground, find out what he's doing. From my point of view, he's concentrating on gathering chakra… For one reason or another."

For a second, Umi closed her eyes. A tiny frown appeared on her face.

"He… He's concentrating a shit-load of chakra… But not outside… He's channelling it _inside_ his body!"

At that same moment, Shiso opened his eyes. But they weren't his normal, hazelnut eyes. They were the colour of liquid silver.

"**One Thousand Birds Current!**"

Everyone watched, awestruck, as Shiso's body began to glow with a soft blue light. A second later, sparks and flashes of electricity started shooting out from his body.

**~::~**

_Now that the first stage is complete, it's time to start the second stage. Fuck, being a Lightning User sucks dicks._

Shiso closed his eyes, concentrating hard on doing exactly what his Academy teacher had told him to do.

_Concentrate my chakra… Focus on where I want it to go… Then, RELEASE IT!_

**~::~**

Everyone watched, captivated, as the sparkling electricity slowly started gathering in the palms of Shiso's hands, the small frown which marred his face becoming a bit bigger.

Then, gasps and gulps echoed around the arena as the blue, electric glow began to engulf the wire Shiso was holding. But that wasn't the only thing – the electric chakra started _travelling_ _up_ the string, almost as if it was a ladder. And everyone observed as the blue glow got closer and closer to Dosu.

And then, as the chakra finally made contact with Dosu's skin, an ear-piercing scream rang through the arena.

It was the end of the match for Dosu.

Shiso released the wire and his opponent tumbled to the ground in a messy heap.

He walked over to the Otogakure ninja.

"See? I told you not to get cocky. You overestimated your abilities, therefore forgetting about the most basic rule when it comes to elements; Light _always_ travels faster than sound. It's the way of life. And that one rule was what led to your downfall."

Hayate coughed and walked over to Dosu. "He's had it." He muttered.

Straightening, Hayate coughed again and spoke to the others. "I declare Shiso No Ame the winner of the twelfth and final match. Congratulations."

Shiso nodded in acknowledgement and turned to walk away.

Suddenly, there was movement on the supposed battlefield, and a grey blur moved at incredible speed towards Shiso.

_Dosu._

"_**NO!**_" Umi and Sakura shouted in unison, both instantly jumping down to help out their teammate.

It seemed as though Dosu ignored the fact that the match was over and somehow managed to free himself from the **Body Pathway Displacement** technique which Shiso had placed on him a few minutes previous and was now standing behind Shiso, his arm outstretched and the vibrations of his _Melody Arm _drifting freely to Shiso's eardrum.

In that moment, Sakura and Umi landed on either sides of their teammate. Umi caught the barely-conscious boy, while Sakura turned to his attacker. A feral growl escaped the rosette.

"If you knew what was good for you, you would have never attacked my teammate. You foul."

And in a blink of an eye, she was in front of him.

A swift, chakra-enhanced kick to Dosu's right arm was all it took for the _Melody Arm_ to crash into hundreds of miniscule, metal pieces.

The onlookers stared in shock.

However, it seemed as if destroying Dosu's only fighting tool was not enough for Sakura. So, with a snarl, she promptly backhanded the mummy-like nin, causing him to fly back and crash into the wall 20 feet away.

"Don't you ever think about hurting any one of my teammates again or there will be hell to pay."

After letting that threat hung in the air for a few seconds, Sakura turned around and worriedly approached her battered colleague.

Kaimei-sensei appeared next to them, anxiously assessing the damage which has been done to his pupil's body. "Call in the medic-nins!"

All the while, the Hokage's gaze was focused on the two girls who'd jumped in to save their teammate.

Their reactions were quicker than those of the Jounin who were watching. They interrupted the fight instinctively, wordlessly agreeing on who was responsible for what.

It was incredible, really. The Hokage had noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the wordless exchange of questions the girls had just before they jumped down:

He felt the red-haired girl's chakra reach out to her teammate, and then come back to her, and he saw the delicate frown which appeared on her forehead just before she shook her head.

It wasn't hard to figure out what the unspoken question which came from the rosette was; _Will you stop Dosu, or shall I do it?_

And the quick chakra check was to see which girl had more chakra, therefore a bigger chance of preventing the Oto-nin from doing any more.

Their team-dynamics were incredible.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was never the one to jump to conclusions after knowing someone for only a few minutes, but he'd assessed that if the trio ever was to become Leaf Ninja, they would have a 95% chance of being **The** best ANBU squad in their generation.

**~::~**

"Due to the recent events, I hereby disqualify Dosu Kinuta from the Preliminaries, also taking away his ability to participate in anymore Chuunin Exams which will ever be held. Now, would all of you who'd passed come down here. It's time to find out who you will be facing in the final stage of the exam."

Shino, Kankuro, Gaara, Temari, Umi, Sakura, Shikamaru, Naruto, Neji, and Shiso came down (in Shiso's case, _stumbled_ would be a better description). Sasuke was still with Kakashi, wherever they went.

"For all ten of you, randomly pick a piece of paper out of this box, and look at your number…"

Naruto got 1, Shiso got 2, Shikamaru got 3, Temari got 4, Sakura got 5, Neji got 6, Shino got 7, Kankuro got 8, Gaara got 9, Umi got 11, Sasuke got 10**.(A/N: It was the last paper in the box. He's still in the Hospital, remember?)**

"Okay, this means,it's going to go like this:  
><strong>Match 1<strong>:Naruto, you're facing Shiso,  
><strong>Match 2<strong>:Shikamaru is going against Temari,  
><strong>Match 3<strong>:Neji v.s Sakura  
><strong>Match 4<strong>:Shino, you're against Kankuro,  
><strong>Match 5<strong>:Gaara you're facing Sasuke,  
>And Umi, you'll be fighting the winner of match 4.<p>

These are the battles of the Third Chunin Exams, which will be held in a month…"

"**WHAT**? A whole _month_?" Naruto nd Umi shouted.

"Everyone has seen what each of your abilities are. You might want to work on new jutsus and techniques."

**~::~**

"Ah, a whole month of blissful peace…" Sakura sighed after Hayate had informed them of their matches.

"Nuh-uh, Sakura-chan! You're going to train, and you're going to train hard! Because, even though you're awesome, you can always get awesomer, can't you?" **(Note: '**_**Awesomer'**_** is a word created by Umi. It does not exist. It would be cool if it did, though. Wouldn't it?)**

Shiso, now fully healed, groaned. "Where does she get the energy…?"

"I have no idea, Shi-kun. No idea at all."

**~::~**

**Finished!**

**Sorry for not updating in so long! I wanted this chappie to be good!**

**If you have any questions, feel free to ask in your REVIEW!**

**~Invincible**


	12. Do you mean it?

**Alright! I'm really sorry I didn't update in so long, but I was one busy ass mother-trucker, and moving schools really doesn't help either!**

**But anyway, I'm really pleased with the amount of reviews I got for this story, as well as my other newer story! **

**You guys rock!**

**~::~**

Sakura sighed. She knew that finding a trainer would be no easy business, but this was getting ridiculous. Kaimei-sensei was training Shiso, which was understandable since they were both Lightning Style users, and even Umi had found some random, crazy Iwa kunoichi to train her.

The only person left was Sakura.

Crap.

At the moment, she was just walking through the forest around the village, trying not to think about much and just relax.

Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

It's truly rather hard to relax when you know that you're going to have to go against a _prodigy_. Sakura was no weakling, but she couldn't help feeling slightly anxious. Anyone would.

Just as she was walking past a clearing, she heard a soft voice over the chirping of the crickets and the joyful singing of the birds.

"**Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!**"

There was an enormous swish of chakra disturbance, and for a moment, Sakura froze with the thought that she might have just accidently stumbled upon the exact person who was the cause of her temporary insomnia.

But as she heard the soft wails of '_It's not working, it's not working! Why am I so __**useless**__?_' she knew that it couldn't have been Neji Hyuuga. Most definitely not.

Once again, she couldn't help the instinct which overtook her senses. So, without really thinking about it, she strode into the clearing, head held high in the true Akatsuki style.

However, her resolve not to get involved was shattered the moment she saw the delicate, trembling girl lying face-down on the grass, her body shaking with what Sakura guessed were silent sobs.

Again, without really thinking about it, she walked over to the crying Hyuuga heiress and knelt down next to her.

Gently nudging her shoulder, she spoke. "Hey, cut yourself some slack. You're not useless if you were able to create such a powerful chakra disturbance with a single jutsu."

Hinata seemed to freeze momentarily, before raising her head high enough to look the rosette in the eye.

Then, a small, sardonic smile overtook her delicate features. "You're only saying that. You don't mean it. I. Am. Useless. There's no denying it."

Sakura almost jumped at the hard tone which came from the supposedly shy girl.

But then, her eyes widened. The girl reminded her so much of her old self. Of how she used to give up before even properly trying.

Until she met Itachi.

_**::Flashback::**_

_A six-year-old Sakura lay down in a broken heap on the ground, her body shaking with every sob which racked through her tiny body._

"_Get up you stupid child!" Pein roared at her._

"_Nagato! She's still your daughter! Don't treat her like an outsider!" Konan yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks as well._

"_I treat her like an outsider because she is an outsider! I will not acknowledge her if she fails to perform the simplest jutsu! Until then, she's not my daughter!"_

_With one final glare at his daughter, he stormed back into the hideout, Konan following after him quickly. A few seconds later, a loud slap was heard, but Sakura didn't know who was on the receiving end. She didn't care._

_The pain at her Father's words was too great to bear. She felt hurt. Betrayed. Disowned. Unwanted._

_Suddenly, quiet footsteps could be heard. Sakura looked up and saw the beautiful scarlet eyes of one Uchiha Itachi._

"_Get up, Sakura-san. I need to tell you something." No space for argument. Just like him._

_When she finally stood up, her legs shaking worse than any jelly she'd ever seen, Itachi raised his hand._

_Involuntarily, Sakura flinched, as if afraid that he was going to hit her. But Itachi didn't retreat his hand. He kept going until his fingers wrapped around the rosette's small wrist._

"_I couldn't help to watch you when you were training. And I noticed that your position was incorrect. Believe me when I say this, the technique you're trying at is not one meant for six-year-olds. But your father doesn't seem to notice that, if you don't mind me saying."_

_Sakura's eyes widened. He wasn't going to hurt her… _

"_When performing the Fireball Technique, you need to use the hand-seals to gather chakra in your lungs, instead of your hands like you normally would. It's your lungs which breathe out the fire, not the other way round."_

_Sakura tried this, and in a few minutes, a massive Fireball engulfed the training grounds._

"_I-I… Itachi-san… Thank you!"_

_All she got in return was a true smile._

_But that was enough._

_**::End of Flashback::**_

Sakura broke away from her memories. She couldn't bear to have someone suffer like she did. She wouldn't let that happen.

"The more you cry over your weakness the more aware of them you become. Soon, you won't be able to do anything simply because of being scared of failure. But know this, if you try and fail, you can always try again. However, if you don't try at all, then what's the point?"

She watched as Hinata's eyes widened and then glazed over slightly with unshed tears. She had to act quickly.

"You might be wondering why I'm telling you this. You see, I used to be like this too. I also used to give up without even trying. But I met someone who helped me overcome that weakness. It took months, filled with sweat, blood and exhaustion, but I had achieved my goal. I wasn't weak." She took a deep breath. "I guess what I'm saying is… Train with me?"

Hinata stared at her like she was crazy. "You're strong. Frighteningly so. Why would you want to train with a failure like me?" she whispered.

Suddenly, a true smile stretched across Sakura's face, her eyes twinkling. "Because…We're the same."

**~::~**

It was a few days after Sakura stumbled upon Hinata, and things were looking better than ever. The two girls had exhausted themselves together when training, laughed together at the small dango restaurant, talked together after their sparring sessions.

They were slowly becoming inseparable.

Though Sakura thought it would be quite hard for the Hyuuga heiress when she had insisted not to talk about her family, Hinata didn't mind it at all, as long as they didn't talk about _her_ family.

No one noticed the sudden change in the shy girl's attitude, but it wasn't because there wasn't any.

It was because Hinata didn't _want_ them to notice.

Even her own teammates didn't notice when Hinata started disappearing from their training session without a word of explanation and not come back till it was well into the evening.

Nobody noticed apart from Sakura. And Kurenai.

The woman thought of Hinata like her own daughter, therefore they agreed that Kurenai will be an exception. They explained the situation to her after the woman began to get more and more suspicious.

A smile of gratitude and relief was their answer.

That's when Sakura realised something necessary.

**~::~**

"Kureni-sensei?" Sakura asked quietely.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" The woman replied, obviously shocked.

"I need your help."

"With what? I thought you were training with Hinata."

"I am. I just need to learn one more thing if I plan to take on Neji."

"And what would that be?"

A smirk crossed Sakura's features. "The ability to mess with someone's senses."

**~::~**

**I'm done! The next chapter will introduce Sakura's last trainer!**

**If you have any questions, feel free to ask in your REVIEW!**


	13. You Don't Mean? THE AKATSUKI!

**Hi guys! I would like to thank the following:**

_**Black Wolf Lady**_**, for being absolutely awesome and reviewing my stories,  
><strong>_**AnimeLuver126**_**, for also being awesome and reviewing  
><strong>_**Black-footed**_**, for giving her detailed opinion which I thought was grand,  
><strong>_**Darkredblossomgodess**_**, for reviewing,  
><strong>_**Sukii**_**-**_**Sama**_**, for being incredibly enthusiastic,  
><strong>_**Black snake eyes,  
>BB'S-SHINIHAMI-KURA-HARUNO,<br>Weasel-Scarecrow Luvrs,  
>music1462,<br>**_**And finally, **_**Minato-kun Luvr.**_**  
>AND ANYONE ELSE WHO REVIEWED, FAVED OR STORY ALERTED!<strong>

**Incredibly Long Author's Rant Over.**

**Let's continue with the story!**

**~::~**

In all honesty, everything was rather incredible. Even in Sakura's most daring dreams, things wouldn't have drifted on so smoothly. It's been two weeks since the preliminary rounds, and just under a week since she'd started training with Kurenai-sensei.

However, Sakura still felt as if something was missing.

She was not an overly emotional person, so she could not fully distinguish what the feeling in the pit of her stomach was.

So, for the time being, she ignored it, instead walking over to the Training Grounds where she was meant to meet up with Hinata for their training session.

Over the past couple of days, she'd discovered something the Akatsuki couldn't get out of her.

She'd found her style.

All of those who were responsible for her training in the Akatsuki, each concentrated on different styles, different techniques.

And now, after having to find the best way to go against Hinata, Sakura finally knew what it was she was lacking.

When training with Kisame or Itachi, she usually lost because she focused on using all the techniques she knew, instead of choosing one.

She knew that stability is an unsafe thing to do on a battle field, but sometimes it was necessary.

So, when she took her stance in front of Hinata, she knew what she was doing.

Left leg in front, right behind, her left hand outstretched while the other was kept palm-flat close to her chest. That was her stance.

Hinata's was similar, the _Hyuuga Style_ passed from generation to generation.

At some unspoken signal, the two girls jumped at each other.

Hinata's movements sharp and quick, while Sakura's graceful and round.

_Gentle Fist vs. Chakra Scalpel._

A quick intake of air from the Hyuuga heiress was everything Sakura got as a confirmation of the fact that her attack had been, in fact, successful.

They went at it for a few more minutes until Sakura thought of something else…

She could see that Hinata was still holding back, that her heart wasn't in the attacks. So, she decided to use her incredible powers of mind-fuck and persuade the girl.

"Hinata-chan, you're not taking me seriously, are you scared?" she taunted the shy kunoichi. "Or do you think that even now, after you're so much stronger, are you afraid that I will _still_ win?"

Hinata paled. "S-Sakura-chan? You don't mean that! I'm stronger now!"

"Are you sure?" Sakura almost flinched. It hurt her to taunt her friend like that, hurt to see the betrayed look in her eyes.

"**YES**! I'm stronger now and I know I can go against you! I may not be able to defeat you yet, but I won't give up! T-That's my nindo! And I will fight for it!"

Sakura watched, captivated, as the look in her friend's eyes changed drastically. Her posture too.

The dangerous Hinata has Awakened.

_Oh boy._

**~::~**

**(A/N: If you want to see the "Awakened" Hinata go to my profile, there's a link for the picture. Cheers lovelies!)**

**~::~**

Both girls stood in the middle of the clearing, panting wildly. Sakura's left arm was sticking out at an odd angle, the chakra points in her right leg blocked.

Hinata had a few deep cuts on her face and arms, the muscle from her left thigh was completely numbed by the rosette's Internal Chakra Scalpel.

"Well done, Hinata-chan. You're truly strong. Just show it sometimes."

Suddenly, understanding dawned in the younger girl's lavender eyes. "Y-You planned this! What you said earlier i-it was to make me angry and loose myself t-to the power, wasn't it?"

A tired nod is what she got in response.

Tears build up in her eyes, "Oh Sakura-chan!" she sobbed, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I was just… so… so _angry_! I'm sorry!"

She glomped Sakura and sobbed into her shoulder.

The pinkette just sighed and stroked her hair. "Sssh, Hinata-chan. It was my fault. I wanted to test you. To help you release all that pent up emotion inside you. I'm sorry too."

"I-I'm so _pathetic_." Hinata whimpered.

Sakura pushed her so she was an arms' length away, a stern look in her eyes.

"No, Hinata. You're not. See this?" she asked, outstretching her arm and ignoring Hinata's flinch at the sight of the broken bone. "A person whom can snap a bone in half with a single touch is anything but pathetic."

"B-But Sakura-chan, y-your arm-!"

"Hinata, remind me once again, _Who. Am. I_?" Sakura asked patiently.

"A-A medical ninja..?" Hinata squeaked.

"Good Girl." Sakura chuckled. "Mending bone is my second nature. Braking bone is the first, though."

Hinata giggled quietely, only to be soon joined by Sakura's slightly louder sniggers.

Suddenly, Hinata's arm came around Sakura's shoulders. "Oh, Sakura-chan." She whispered, closing her eyes. "I can never thank you enough."

**~::~**

Sakura was ready to burst out crying. How, oh how, did she deserve such a faithful, forgiving friend? How?

After mending the bone, the two girls just sat there, hugging, chatting, apologising and laughing. Even now, almost two hours later the girls were still smiling fondly. They treasured their friendship too much to ever hurt one another. They both knew it.

Therefore, Sakura made the decision. A decision which might very well change her life completely.

Her friend deserved truth. Straight, exact, truthful truth.

Hinata deserved to know who she truly was.

"Hinata-chan… I need to tell you something. The truth about my family."

Hinata's eyes lit up. Sakura always avoided any and all things which would lead to having to reveal anything about her family or her birthday.

So, after taking a deep breath, Sakura made the decision.

_Now or never._

"Hinata… I was born in the Akatsuki."

…

…

…

"I was born in the middle of the night. Nothing special."

Sakura resisted the urge to laugh. The girl was too innocent for her own good. She linked the Japanese meaning of '_akatsuki'_ as '_Dawn'_ simply thinking that Sakura was talking about the time of day she was born at.

Such incredible innocence.

"No Hinata-chan. Akatsuki is a name. A name of an organization."

"So? It's not like it's some criminal organization, is it?" Hinata asked jokingly, giggling slightly at the impossibility of it all.

But at Sakura's sullen look her giggles stopped. Her hand automatically rose to her mouth.

"Y-You don't mean…? _**The**_ _**Akatsuki**_? The dangerous organization in Amegakure?"

Sakura just nodded, eyes closed, preparing herself for the screams, the tears, the rejection.

It never came.

Instead, a soft sigh escaped Hinata's lips.

Sakura's eyes snapped open, a questioning, dumbfounded look in them.

"Y-You don't hate me?" It was the first time Sakura ever stuttered. She was just so shocked.

Hinata shook her head.

"I could never hate you, Sakura-chan. In fact, my respect for you has just sky-rocketed once again." At Sakura's curious gaze she just laughed. "You survived twelve years of your life with dangerous criminals. It's thought to be impossible. You proved me wrong."

Sakura just shakes her head and smiles.

_Oh, Hinata…_

**~::~  
><strong> 

_I never expected that sort of reaction. I expected something different, and yet, I didn't._

_None of it was hard. Not when you have the resources I have, by which I mean to say, when you're as smart as I am._

_You can have anything, but you won't be as strong as me if you're not as smart as me. That's the way I see it. All those dumb kids at the Ninja Academy, all those dumb Jounin in Ame. All the dumb people I've had to put up with my whole life. They could be stronger than me, or have more money than me, or be better looking than me, but they don't win in the end, because I have one thing above all else that makes me better._

_My mind._

_And my incredible mind-fuck abilities._

**~::~**

_**I apologize if you've found the ending a bit confusing, it'll be explained in the next chapters. **_

_**By the way, I'm thinking about changing the summary. Tell me what you think about this:**_

_Why do we always assume that all crows are black? What if we saw that single, white one? When Sakura goes to Konoha for the exams, she triggers the chain of unfortunate events leading to pain, hurt, betrayal and confusion.  
>But is that it?<br>"Why, you ask? Because, I'm the white crow."_

_**What do you think?**_

_**~Invincible.**_


	14. Apologising is Troublesome

**Hello lovelies!**

**How are you all? I am still thinking about changing the summary to this story, and right now I have 2 votes for changing and 1 against. Please help me decide, if you wondering what it's going to be read this:**

_Why do we always assume that all crows are black? What if we saw that single, white one? When Sakura goes to Konoha for the exams, she triggers the chain of unfortunate events leading to pain, betrayal and confusion._

_But is that it?_

**What do you think?**

**Oh, another thing. I know that I've done this before, but how about a goal? **

**LET'S GET 100 REVIEWS!**

**The 100****th**** person to review gets a one-shot with any length, any pairing.**

**PLEASE HELP!**

**~::~**

It's been a while since Sakura'd met up with Hinata. When she went back to the hotel room she shared with Umi, she saw one of Itachi's black crows sitting on the desk.

She hurried over to it and plucked out the letter.  
>It read:<p>

**Sakura-san,  
>Pein is adding another part to your mission; he wants you to collect as much information on the Kyuubi and Shukaku as possible. Everything. He's growing obsessed with his plan, wants it all completed immediately. If you want to keep your neck out of trouble you better hurry up.<strong>

Then there was another part of the letter, on a separate piece of paper. She smiled. It was coded.

_PEANUT EAGLE INSTANT NEST IMPOSSIBLE STRAY GOBLET ERNEST TRAY TRACK ISLE NOBLE GIG STAY UNDER SUNCREAM PICKLE INSIDE CUTE IRRITATING OUT UMBRELLA SAUSAGE. HOST EAT LIGHTNING PLEASE. _

To most others, it would have looked like total gibberish. To Sakura, however, it wasn't. It was a code she and Itachi used when they didn't want Pein to find out what they're writing.

So she read it again, using a de-coder this time.

_**P**__EANUT __**E**__AGLE __**I**__NSTANT __**N**__EST __**I**__MPOSSIBLE __**S**__TRAY __**G**__OBLET __**E**__RNEST __**T**__RAY__** T**__RACK __**I**__SLE __**N**__OBLE __**G**__IG __**S**__TAY __**U**__NDER __**S**__UNCREAM __**P**__ICKLE __**I**__NSIDE __**C**__UTE __**I**__RRITATING __**O**__UT __**U**__MBRELLA __**S**__AUSAGE. __**H**__OST __**E**__AT __**L**__IGHTNING __**P**__LEASE. _

**PEIN IS GETTING SUSPICIOUS. HELP.**

"Fuck, fuck, fuckety fuck!"

"Sakura-chan, are you all right?"

Sakura almost jumped out of her skin.

_Calm yourself… It's only Umi._

"I'm fine, Umi-chan… Just reading."

"If you say so."

Sakura sighed, once again thanking the heavens for having an absolutely clueless teammate.

She jumped on the bed and composed a reply for Pein, writing in all the boring details she'd found out when she went spying for the Kyuubi, making a point of writing it as convincing as she could.

Then, she wrote back to Itachi.

_Problema Risolto._

It was Italian, something Itachi found necessary to teach her. How he knew Italian, she would never know.

The two words she'd written were the simplest way to tell Itachi what was going on.

_Problem Solved._

What she didn't realise was that it was only the beginning of her problems…

**~::~**

"Sakura, Hinata, you've been nothing but a pleasure to teach. However, I'm afraid that this is the last time we meet up. The final phase of the exam is in a week's time and I need both of you on your best abilities." Kurenai stated in a calm voice.

Both girls had tears in their eyes. Sakura, because she never thought she'd grow so emotionally attached to anyone in just one month, and Hinata because her best, and only friend was leaving, and there was a high possibility that the next time they see each other they would be trying to kill one another.

But that was the way. Their only possible destiny.

"S-Sakura-chan… Don't go. Stay in Konoha. They'll understand."

By 'they' she was referring to the Akatsuki.

Sakura laughed humourlessly. "They'll understand? You're not serious, Hinata-chan, are you? You don't actually think I could run away from Akatsuki under excuse of finding freedom?"

"But that's what all this is about, isn't it? All that talk of peace and freedom your Father talks about?"

Another dry laugh. "That's talking about the world, Hinata. Not every single person who lives on it. Plus, the only freedom shinobi will ever get is the freedom of Death."

Hinata cringed. "Sakura…"

Sakura sighed. "You won't be able to talk me out of this, Hinata-chan. I have a goal I need to accomplish, and an innocent life to save."

Hinata looked up. "Itachi?"

The rosette nodded. After she'd told Hinata about her family, she also spilled everything she'd planned with Itachi, his illness, his death, his rebellion, his _innocence_.

"I need to give him his medication. I only made enough for a month."

The Hyuuga girl only nodded.

"Just… when you do leave… Don't die."

Sakura smiled slightly and pulled her friend in for a hug.

"I won't die, Hina-chan. I refuse to die before I accomplish my goal." She smirked. "Plus, I have yet to kick your cousin's ass."

**~::~**

Sakura smiled. It was easy to keep a calm façade in front of Hinata. Or rather, she had to make it easy, otherwise the girl would start crying her eyes out.

Suddenly, the rosette stopped. She was finally able to place a name on the feeling which was gnawing at the pit of her stomach for so long.

_Guilt._

But why would she feel guilty? It's not like she lied to Hinata, or anything. She was rather honest.

That's when she heard loud laughter echo around the village.

"_Chouji, why do you have to always stuff your face like that? It's unattractive_!"

Shit.

She knew that voice.

So was that why she was so guilty? For almost killing an innocent girl because she'd insulted her village?

Of course.

Only someone as fucked-up as her could feel guilty about something like that.

But what to do now? Sakura was sure that 'just an apology' wouldn't work.

_What then? _

**Buy her forgiveness. **_**Duh**_**.**

_Huh?_

**Buy her something she likes, you dolt.**

_But what?_

**Ne, I don't know… Nail Vanish maybe?**

_No need to be sarcastic, bitch._

**I was serious.**

_Oh. Of course!_

**Goddamnit. You're really stupid.**

Sakura ignored her Inner and sprinted off in the direction of the closest beauty shop.

_This is stupid. _

**Itachi wanted you to gather allies, didn't he? So shut up and do the work.**

_Kill joy._

**I can kill you as well if you don't stop complaining.**

_Whatever._

**~::~**

Sakura fidgeted slightly. She never had to apologise like that to someone before.

**Nervous?**

_You wish._

Irritated by her Inner's teasing, Sakura straightened up and decided to get this over with. Sigh. She was never good with apologising.

**You. Shut it. You'll do great.**

_Uh-huh…_

**Grrr…. Chin up in the air, back straight. Emit confidence. Not fear. **

…

**Fuck this! You floored her once already, didn't you? If things get out of hand you'll just do it again, alright?**

_Fine._

**Fine.**

_I'm going._

**Do your worst.**

**~::~**

"Shikamaru? Shikamaru! What's wrong?" Ino was waving her hand in front of the Nara's face.

The boy in question wasn't listening at all. He was staring at something over Ino's shoulder.

A moment later Asuma noticed as well. He slid just slightly to the left, so he was looking directly over Ino's shoulder.

"Asuma-sensei? What's up?"

"Ino. Turn around."

The blonde did as told and froze.

The girl who she'd been dreading for the past three weeks was slowly walking towards her. Eyes set on her.

Ino whimpered quietely, but the rosette just kept on advancing, not slow, not fast either. As if she had all the time in the world.

But Asuma noticed the slight stiffness of her shoulders and her pinkie finger was twitching uncontrollably. He slid slightly in front of Ino, showing the girl that she was not wanted there.

Sakura kept on walking. She stopped when she was right in front of Ino, but didn't speak until Ino met her eyes.

Blue on green.

Then-

"I'm sorry."

Ino's eyes widened. For a moment she just stared at Sakura like a fish out of water.

"_What?"_

Sakura took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Her eyes trailed over to the bandage still wrapped around Ino's cheek and the faint bruises covering her neck. She winced. "I… I lost control. I overdid it. I only meant to immobilise you slightly, and not almost kill you. I was just so… **No**. There aren't any excuses. I almost killed someone who'd never done anything to me." Sakura hung her head. "I'm sorry… Please forgive me."

The whole Team 10 stared at the girl, dumbfounded.

Asuma didn't understand her. Even if she _did_ kill Ino, she would've been excused. The Chunin Exams are, after all, a test of life and death. Why apologise for something she _didn't_ do?

Shikamaru was confused. All of his speculations about the girl being some secret, emotionless assassin crumbled into nothingness. The girl _did_ have feelings; she just masked them very well.

Chouji… He didn't mind. The rosette didn't look like someone who would eat his chips. Which was good.

Ino… Ino was a completely different story. She was mixed between confusion, respect, anger and more confusion. Why did the girl apologise? She seemed so ruthless three weeks ago, but now she looked ready to cry.

"Why?" the question was out before Shikamaru could stop it.

Sakura's eyes lifted up to look at him.

"Why what?"

"Why apologise? She's alive, isn't she? Plus, apologising for something you didn't do is troublesome."

Sakura laughed humourlessly. "Troublesome? Oh boy, that's funny." She said, "Well, I apologise, because, unlike you Mr. Lazyass, I don't like making enemies with people who didn't do anything wrong."

Ino giggled. "What's that in your hand?" she asked, pointing to the box which was still held tightly in Sakura's hand.

"Hm? Oh that. Well, it's for you actually." The rosette said handing Ino the box. "Thought you might like it."

Ino tore at the paper impatiently and then her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh!" she squealed. "How did you get this? I wanted for so long but my mum always said it's too expensive!"

Sakura smirked. "~Not going to tell you…" she said in a sing-a-song voice.

Ino pouted. "Hmpf, fine! But you have to go shopping with me!"

Sakura paled. "Not shopping! Please!"

This time it was Ino who went pale. "You don't like shopping?"

"No."

Ino grinned, "Even better! I can take you around Konoha and convince you that shopping is the most wonderful thing in the world!"

The rosette looked around and saw that there was no way to get out of that.

"Fine, but I'm taking Mr. Lazyass with me!"

"Yay! Follow me then!"

Shikamaru turned his incredulous stare towards Sakura. "Why me?"

"Because you're her teammate, and thus the only person who knows how to switch off and ignore her infuriating blubbering."

Shikamaru smirked, "Oh, I know how to do that, alright."

**~::~**

**Done! Don't know if I'm satisfied with this chapter, or not. Not much happens, but it's kind of necessary to have filler chapters from time to time.**

**Yayness!**


	15. Shopping is a drag, y'know

**I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! Please forgive meh!**

**ENJOY!  
>Like and Review!<strong>

After two agonizing hours of being dragged around Konoha by Ino, Sakura finally demanded a break. Her eyes were hurting with the glare of the setting sun, her arms hurt from being scratched by so many random materials and sharp price tags, and she was generally E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D.

Shikamaru wasn't looking any better. He was murmuring '_Troublesome'_ or '_What a drag'_ practically every damn second.

"Alright Ino. I pass. Break please. Shika looks like he's ready to pass out any given moment. We'll wait for you by the Hokage Tower, OK?"

Ino huffed. "Oh, fine! I need to go to _Lady Parlor's Beauty Shop_, anyway. Be back in half an hour, s'alright?"

"Yeah. See you then."

When Ino ran off in the direction of the beauty shop, Sakura grabbed Shikamaru's hand and dragged him away.

"Oi, Sakura, the Hokage Tower is the other way."

Sakura grinned. "I know."

"Then why are you going there?"

"Because, Shika-dear, you don't actually think I will wait for Ino to come back and give her the opportunity to kidnap me as her shopping partner again, do you? And I thought you were supposed to be smart."

Shikamaru smirked lazily. "Now I see. You really are just as cunning as I thought you were. Che, Ino will throw a fit later on. Kami-sama save me."

"Oh, come on Shika-chan! Pwease?"

"Fine… Troublesome woman…"

"Yay!"

"But under one condition."

"Yah?"

"Play shogi with me."

"When?"

"Now if you don't mind."

"AWESOME!"

**~::~**

"**FOREHEAD-CHAN!"**

Sakura glanced at Shikamaru, who was looking very smug, with his hands tucked under his head. His posture almost screamed '_I told you she would throw a fit'_. Sakura smirked. Two could play that game.

"PIGGY-CHAN! I'M BY THE WEST GATE WITH OUR DEAR SHIKA-CHAN!"

She grinned when Shikamaru sent her a (_supposed to be_) murderous glare.

Payback was a bitch.

Ino was in front of them in a matter of seconds. Her face twisted slightly with fury and exhaustion.

"I waited (pant) two bloody hours for the two of you to show up at the Hokage Tower. **TWO BLOODY HOURS**!" she screamed, "Just tell me, whose idea was it?"

The rosette smirked. "Shika's. I was perfectly content with waiting for you, but our dear lazy-ass over here had a sudden rebellious streak. What could I do but follow?"

Shikamaru almost gaped. How on Earth did she-?

_No, hang on a second. Ino actually __**believed**__ her! What the hell! It was an _O-B-V-I-O-U-S_ lie._

But then again, the Nara had to hand it to the Ame genin, she was a great liar.

Now Ino turned her head to face Shikamaru, the sickly sweet smile which was plastered on her face was so…

**Repulsive. I swear, that smile could kill babies.**

_Agreed. Remind me to thank Ita-sensei for teaching me how to keep a perfectly blank poker face._

**Heh. Atleast that Uchiha blood in him was useful for **_**something**_**.**

_Too true._

"Well, Shikamaru, you can officially forget about any shogi games you could've played with Asuma-sensei. I'll make sure to inform him how hopeless your teamwork and co-operation skills are."

Sakura ignored her Inner's taunt of '**Ooooh! Big words!**!' and instead stole a side glance at the unusually quiet Nara.

He smirked. "Well, too bad Ino. I'd found a more… ah, fitting partner." He gestured towards Sakura, and Ino's jaw dropped.

"You played with him? How much did you lose by?"

Sakura frowned and Shikamaru sighed. "What makes you think she lost?"

Ino gaped at him, her jaw still ajar.

"Ino-pig, stop that or you'll catch flies." Sakura said. Seriously, why was it so surprising? She was always smart. That's just how she is. Period.

"Y-you mean she actually… WON WITH YOU?"

"Goddamnit, Ino! Calm it down! Yes, Sakura won with me. If we weren't interrupted, we would've continued."

"Shika! That's rude! Be a good boy and apologise, or else I'll run off right now and tell everyone that the almighty Nara Shikamaru lost to a pathetic little Ame genin in SHOGI! His favourite game!"

It was Shikamaru's time to gape. "You wouldn't…"

Sakura smirked. "Watch me, Lazy-ass."

"Alright! I apologise!"

Sakura's smirk widened. "Good boy."

Ino was staring at the rosette intently. How did she bend practically everyone to her wishes? Was it some hidden talent or is she really a master at the art of mind-fuck?

Probably the latter, since she herself had seen what a few kind words and just persuasion from the pinkette made even Nara Shikamaru cave in.

All Ino wanted to know, was how on earth did her friend (she supposed that was an appropriate term to call Sakura) know when to stop.

She never overdid it, also Ino hadn't seen anyone reject her.

Which was just strange…

But oh, so freaking awesome!

**~::~**

"UUUUmi-chaaan!" Sakura whined.

"Yeah, Saku-chan?"

"Train with meh!"

It was about seven o'clock now, and the streets of Konoha were getting emptier and emptier. Sakura and her team agreed to meet up at the dango shop where they would discuss when they'd leave to go back to Ame.

Sakura wouldn't say it aloud, but Umi knew that deep down, the rosette missed the rain and the cool, fresh air of Amegakure. She herself did too.

"Saku-chan, the exams are in five days' time. Five days! You had almost a month to get ready and find someone to train with!"

Sakura grinned. "Oh, but I did. I just wanna see if I'll have to bite my nails out of worry if you'll end up going against Bug-Boy, or worse, the Sand dude."

"You doubting mah skills?" Umi asked while munching on her dango.

"Me? Of course not! How could you think that? I'm just genuinely concerned. That's all."

Umi stared at her teammate with calculating eyes. It was the first time Sakura had seen Umi serious.

"Honestly, Umi."

Umi sighed.

_Sure you're 'just genuinely concerned' Sakura-chan. Of course. You and Shiso are the same. I know what you think about me. I'm not stupid. I will show you and I'll make sure you never look down on me again. But now, it's peace-making time. I can't let her know what I'm thinking._

"Well, then that's great!" she said in an abnormally high-pitched voice. She flinched. Even to her, it sounded fake. Just by looking at Sakura, she knew that the rosette noticed it as well.

She looked around then smiled. Finally, Shiso and sensei are finally here…

::

DONE! Please tell me what you thought!


	16. I Will Make You Proud, Don't Worry

This was it. The day of the final stage of the Exams. It's been one month.

Truth be told, Sakura wasn't expecting the exams to be so much of a commotion. She was surprised when she saw just how many people actually came to see the genin fight against one other. It was shocking, yet pleasant.

She recognised Amegakure's Daimyo. He nodded at her and she smiled back.

"Oi, Forehead-chan, who's that?" Ino asked.

Sakura sighed. She wanted to walk with Ino and Shika because she felt slightly less lonely. It was nice, but at the same time depressing when she realised that the next time they see each other will most probably be on a battlefield. She pushed that thought away.

"It's Amegakure's Feudal Lord, Piggy. Seriously, don't you read?"

"Sakura! You sounded like my mother!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Shikamaru chuckled. "Troublesome women…"

Just then a group of Academy children shoved past Sakura and Ino, heatedly discussing something.

"_Did you hear? __**The**__ Hyuuga Neji is going against some chick from Ame! Who do you think will win?"_

"_You're asking us? It's obvious! The girl doesn't stand a chance!"_

"_B-But I heard she defeated Yamanaka Ino with a simple Shadow clone. A-and Ino had the highest score in the Genin tests and as a R-Rookie."_

"_Oh, come on, Naomi! Even if, Hyuuga is still __**WAY**__ out of her league. He'll defeat her in no time!" _

Ino and Shikamaru could see that Sakura was fuming. She was being discreet, but the way she was practically glaring a metaphorical hole through the boy's head gave her away.

"_I don't know, Shuji… She seems pretty powerful to me…"_

"_What is there not to know? She has pink hair for Kami's sake! Who in their right mind-"_

The boy was cut off when a blur of black and pink appeared before him. A hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

When his eyes refocused he saw a girl with pink hair, her expression murderous.

"Say one more thing you little brat, and I will paint the closest wall with your brains." She hissed quietly.

The boy froze, his eyes wide. "G-Gomenasai!" he gasped.

Sakura released him, and turned on her heal, walking back to her two shell-shocked companions.

Suddenly, Shikamaru laughed. "Now I know how Ino was defeated so easily… I didn't even see you move."

Ino was still staring at the rosette, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to say something.

"Hey, Pig-chan, you'll catch flies if you keep doing that."

Someone behind them laughed. Sakura turned around and saw Umi and Shiso walking together, Shiso's arm around Umi's shoulders while she was grinning manically.

"Saku-chan, I think you might've permanently traumatised that boy." Umi pointed out while still giggling.

"Hmpf. Whatever. It's his fault for judging people by appearance."

"Keep telling yourself that, luv. But anyway, the final Exam starts in ten minutes. Shall we?"

"Yeah." Ino said. "I don't want you lot to be late."

**~::~**

Everyone was by now leaning forward in their seats, trying to get a glimpse at the genin who were lined up on the arena.

Shikamaru, Naruto, Shino, Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, Neji, Shiso, Umi and Sakura were all waiting for the Hokage to declare the Exams started.

Sasuke wasn't present but the Jounin who was responsible for being the 'judge' for the matches, Genma Shiranui, decided to give him time till his fight came on to show up.

Hiruzen stood up. "Let the final stage of this year's Chunin Exams begin!" his declaration was greeted with cheers and applause from the onlookers.

Genma cleared his throat. "The participants for the first match, Uzumaki Naruto and Shiso No Ame, stay here. The rest of you, please head up to the balcony and wait for your fight."

Shiso stepped forward, but was pulled back by his two female teammates and enveloped in a bone-crushing hug.

"Go on, Shi-kun. Make us proud." Sakura whispered.

"Yeah, 'cause when Saku-chan and I become Chunin, we will rub it in your face so much that you'll go crazy." Umi added.

"I'm already crazy. You two had rubbed off on me." Shiso said, smirking.

"Haha, very funny. Now, shoo. The blonde idiot is waiting for you." Umi shot back.

Sakura laughed. "Umi-chan, blonde isn't always synonymous with retarded." She chastised.

"In his case it is."

"Yeah. Point made."

**~::~**

"Are you ready?"

"Hn."

"As ready as I will ever be, believe it!"

"Then let the first match begin!"

**~::~**

"**Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"** Naruto shouted.

_Shadow clones…? Not bad, Blondie. _

Naruto grinned at him, as if the mere fact of him being able to make clones of himself was enough to scare Shiso away.

_Slim chance._

The clones ran at him with a mighty roar, fists ready to strike.

_Poof._

_Poof. _

_Poof._

One clone gone.

Second too.

_Poof._

_Poof._

_Poof._

Once again, only one Naruto stood on the battlefield, jaw ajar, eyes wide.

"D-Dattebayo? How the hell?"

Shiso smirked. "Are you done yet? I'm bored."

"_**NO**_! I'll win this match, believe it! **Kage Bunshin**!"

Two more clones ran at Shiso, and like before, he stood still, letting the clones ran up, but just before they reached him, Shiso outstretched his hands, the tip of his pointer fingers glowing blue, and just as both clones' chests connected with his fingers, there was a quiet _zap_ and a cloud of smoke enveloped the battlefield once again.

"It's electricity. What I'm doing is simply electrocuting your clones."

The arena was quiet.

Suddenly, Shiso jumped towards Naruto, his whole hand engulfed in a sparkling baby-blue glove. The second his hand touched Naruto's abdomen, the blonde flew back, blood dribbling down his chin.

"W-Wha…?" he wheezed.

"You had your two minutes. Now it's my turn." Shiso closed his eyes. "**Kage** **bunshin**."

Three more clones appeared, each turned on his heal and walked off into one direction of the arena.

One went west, the other south, another north while the real Shiso went east.

Naruto stood, still dazed in the middle.

Each of Shiso's clones together with him, outstretched their arms, hands touching, above their heads. Bluish, crackling electricity engulfed their hands, stretching and growing. But that wasn't all. The electricity sizzled slightly and did the unspeakable.

The north and south beams connected like a rope from one side to the other. Same with the east and west.

The ropes of swirling electricity were now in an X shape, while still expanding. A delicate, shimmering blue web began to form between each rope, making it look like half a sphere – round, semicircle-like shield rose above Naruto and Shiso.

Suddenly there was some commotion on the stands. Asuma stood up.

"Someone stop the match! This can't detonate! It'll ki-!"

_Too_ _late_. Shiso thought grimly. _Now, you all watch._

"**LIMELIGHT!"**

_**BOOM!**_

The sphere exploded. The onlookers had to cover their faces to avoid having stray debris shoot into their faces.

When it calmed down, the brave ones risked a peep.

Gasps, shocked shouts and widened eyes. Those were the expressions on practically every single face, ninja or not.

The destruction site was incredible. The trees were burning, some lying horizontally as if someone uprooted them. The earth was raw and pierced in multiple places, some of the grass patches also burning.

Naruto was lying in the middle of the mess, his body cut and bleeding.

Shiso was nowhere to be seen.

Just when Genma was about to step in, the earth to the left of where Naruto was lying shook slightly.

A hand poked up, then a messy brown head, and finally the whole torso.

Shiso.

He scrambled out of the hole, his clothes slightly singed, but his face clean of any dirt, or emotion.

He dusted himself off and looked towards Naruto, his eyes widened slightly.

Everyone was still deeply in shock from his technique, so nobody noticed the light, orange hue which covered Naruto.

Slowly, his body shook slightly, then more, and finally, his eyes snapped open.

He got to his knees, grimacing and wincing from the pain.

Not wasting any time, Shiso sauntered up to him, his fingers lightly poking his forehead.

Naruto's head snapped up to look at him, growling. He got to his feet, taking out a kunai. Quickly running up to Shiso, he shot his arm forward, the kunai piercing into the flesh of the brunette's abdomen.

Only when Shiso's blood splattered on his hand, did Naruto realise what he did. He looked up, his eyes shocked.

Shiso was still smiling. His bloodied hand gripped Naruto's shoulder.

"**Body Pathway Derangement Technique."** He murmured.

Naruto stilled.

Shiso, his face bloodied and pale, turned to Genma. "I forfeit."

Silence.

"WHAT? WHY?" Naruto yelled.

Shiso smiled. "Don't you understand? You have the Nine-Tails chakra in your body. That's how you survived the technique which nearly killed _me. _Also, the technique I used a moment ago, the **Body Pathway Derangement**, was designed to attack the victims nervous system, sending false signals to the brain, so you wouldn't be able to move any muscles." Shiso glanced at his opponent. "That includes your tongue."

Naruto continued to look puzzled.

Shiso sighed. "Move your left pinkie."

Naruto's pinkie twitched.

"See? In the space of less than a minute you've already broken out of my technique. You have your Jinchuuriki's chakra almost full, while I'm almost drained. This was the only way to quit with atleast a bit of dignity left. Show everyone my masterpiece, outsmart you, give up. I can't say I planned this from the beginning, but what can I say…" he coughed.

Genma cleared his throat. "Winner of the first match: Naruto Uzumaki."

There was applause, but it was half-hearted. No matter what would later be said, even if he forfeited, to everyone, Shiso would always be the winner of that particular match.

"Now, Nara Shikamaru vs Temari. Come down please."

**~::~**

Shikamaru's match was also quite incredible, but half of the people were still deeply in shock about what happened to Shiso. Everyone saw him being carried away on stretchers, the wound on his stomach was immediately treated.

Shikamaru gave up as well, but it wasn't as flashy as Shiso's, though Sakura thought that if anyone of the four who'd fought had any chance of passing, it would be those two; Shiso and Shikamaru.

"Now, the participants of the third match; Hyuuga Neji and Haruno Sakura. Get down."

Murmurs once again started. Most people knew of Hyuuga Neji as the talented prodigy, while many of them had also heard about Sakura's extraordinary victoru over Ino.

_Oh boy…_

**~::~**

**Do you likey?**

**REViEW PWEASE!**


	17. So Different, Yet The Same

**OH.**

**MY.**

**FREAKING.**

**GOD.**

**WE'VE GOT OVER 100 REVIEWS!**

**Awesome! Right now, I look in the corner of the page and I see a small '**_**102'**_**.**

**THAT MADE MAH DAY!**

**Now, as a show of **_**extreme**_** gratefulness, I present you this incredible, ass- kicking chappie a la Sakura's style. **

**ENJOY!**

Sakura walked down to the arena, back straight, face emotionless. Neji looked almost exactly the same, except for the fact that his eyes held pure, naked arrogance. It was clear that he didn't think much of this match.

Sakura almost smirked.

"Are you both ready?" Genma asked.

He didn't get any response. The two genin were too busy seizing each other up and predicting their strengths to answer. Genma took that as affirmative.

"You may begin."

Nothing happened. Sakura stood, seemingly motionless, her face clean of any emotion. The corner of Neji's mouth turned down in a sneer. Sakura hissed.

"Forfeit." Neji said.

"Never." Sakura retorted, her eyes never leaving Neji's.

His Byakugan appeared. "Then you will pay."

And just like that, they were at each other's throats.

Even if Hinata and Neji were from the same clan, with the same Kekkei Genkai, there was an unspeakable difference between their styles. Hinata's movements were always sharp and quick and to-the-point, while Neji had a similar way to Sakura's; quick but round.

For a moment, all Sakura did was dodge and block, trying to find a weak point in her opponent's attacks. She knew of the Byakugan's blind spot after almost three weeks of training with Hinata, but she planned on saving that for later. Instead, she searched for any part of his body which Neji left unprotected, and therefore an easy place for her to strike with the Chakra Scalpel.

**There. Just above his pecks, to the left.**

_Tell me when._

Neji's left hand shot up, heading for the pinkette's right shoulder.

_**NOW!**_

Both attacks hit flesh at the same time. For a second, nothing happened. Then, Sakura felt an enormous amount of chakra enter her system, and before she knew, she was flying backwards, away from Neji, who was also soaring through the air.

It seemed as though both attacks had the same amount of chakra in them, and thereby the same effect.

Sakura gracefully back-flipped and landed on her feet at the same time when Neji finally stabilised himself.

"How?" the monosyllable was out before Neji could stop it.

The rosette smirked. "Why, I don't know what you're talking about."

Neji ground his teeth together. "You knew where I was going to hit. It was as if you had seen that technique before."

Sakura gave him a cheeky grin. "Who says I hadn't?"

Neji's eyes widened slightly at that, but Sakura didn't give him time to further analyse her statement.

Her hands flew in the necessary hand signs. A moment later, four clones appeared next to her. With a smirk, she sent them at Neji, commanding two clones to get shuriken and kunai, while the other two wielded her katana.

Neji skilfully avoided the kunai and shuriken, but the same could not be said about the katana. 360 vision or not, one can't seem to be able to move quick enough to avoid two, deadly, well-wielded blades. The Hyuuga prodigy couldn't either. A long slash at his arm and a small jab in the abdomen were proof enough.

Though it seemed that the Hyuuga had had enough of being thrown around. He ran at Sakura, hands ready and attacked her. Even with Sakura's incredible agility, she couldn't escape from all the blows Neji shot at her.

_No, no, no!_

**SHUT UP! Are you really going to let him just pound you like that? Fight back, you idiot!**

Even if she spent her entire life living with criminals, she could still be scared. Even if she seemed emotionless and defiant, she could still feel pain. Even if she seemed to always have a plan, truth be told, she was still only a normal, frightened, inexperienced twelve-year-old girl.

**But that doesn't mean you can just give up and let Hyuuga win.**

_I know. _

Sakura's eyes snapped open. With a hiss, she blocked a particularly nasty hit aimed for her abdomen, instead concentrating her chakra to her hand and slicing across Neji's cheek.

Gasps echoed between the onlookers.

Neji frowned, but continued his onslaught.

Sakura shot out her fist, but Neji caught it. She smirked, and flattened her palm, but not doing anything to pull her hand out of Neji's grasp.

Then, Neji cursed, releasing Sakura's hand as if it burned him. And sure enough, the palm of his hand seemed untouched, but upon closer inspection you could see a faint purple-ish hue underneath the skin.

"Chakra Scalpel." Sakura said simply. "Blue chakra makes surface cuts, green chakra cuts internally."

**I know what we have to do. What we need, though, is a diversion.**

_Where do you suppose we hide?_

**Where **_**can**_** we hide? Underground, of course!**

_This might just work…_

Creating a dozen more clones, Sakura once again sent them at Neji, then quietly slipped underground.

_So, what do you suppose we do?_

**I say the technique Kisa-kun taught us to create enough water to later use **_**that**_** technique.**

_Are you out of your mind? That will eat a shitload of my chakra! _

**That's why you will have to be quick and finish the match.**

_Why do I put up with you…?_

**Because you can't get rid of me. Hah.**

Sakura sighed. She scrambled out from her little hiding spot underground, just in time to see Neji lift her last clone from the ground by its throat. There was a 'poof' and he clone disappeared.

**NOW!**

Using Neji's temporary distraction, Sakura's hands flew in the hand signs necessary to perform the technique.

With one last smirk at Neji, Sakura lodged her katana high in the air, before she bent over and took a deep breath.

_Now or never…_

"**Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"**

Gasps echoed around the arena. Some couldn't say anything, others simply stared, awestruck, as a tremendous wave shot out from the rosette's mouth. It grew bigger and bigger, growing out like a fountain around Sakura, who stood calmly on the top of the wave, smirking down at Neji. Raising her hand upwards, she caught her katana which had spiralled down, back to its owner.

Sakura was now level with the watcher's alcove, allowing others to see that although she was smirking, the rosette was also panting from exhaustion.

**Remember that our chakra reserves aren't as great as Kisame's.**

_I know. But now, there is no time for backing down._

**You're so… reckless.**

_Che. That's just how I roll._

There were shouts of 'That's impossible!' or 'I've never seen this technique before!', but Sakura's personal favourite was the one which came from jounin with black specs and a bandana around his head; 'This is outrageous! This little girl is too petite to be able to perform a technique like this!'.

Sakura turned her head to look straight at the jounin. "Appearances are deceiving, bastard." She hissed.

Then, her scowl transformed into a smirk when she turned her attention back to Neji. "But now, I plan to get serious."

And she shot down.

Riding the wave, she attacked Neji, who though incredibly agile and quick, wasn't able to avoid an enormous wave of chakra and water.

Getting down and off the wave, Sakura ran towards her opponent, her Chakra Scalpel pulsing with her chakra.

"This," she hissed, swiping at Neji's chest, "Is for looking down at everyone. This," she continued, swiping down at his abdomen, "Is for treating Hinata-chan like scum. And this," she said, fisting her hand and delivering a powerful punch to Neji's cheek, "Is for underestimating me!"

At the last move, Neji flew backward, his back connecting with one of the trees. The audience was silent. No one dared to move. The only sounds were Sakura's hard pants and Neji's blood dribbling to the ground.

"You talk as if you know everything… As if you have experienced what I have… Seen what I had seen… But in reality… YOU DON'T KNOW A THING!" Neji roared, charging at the rosette.

**What are you doing? MOVE!**

_No._

**WHAT?**

But Sakura's inner discussion was cut short when Neji reached where they were standing.

"You've had your say in this battle, now it's my turn! **Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!**"

Needless to say, the audience was now completely shocked. No chunin or jounin present had ever seen such a battle before. The two genin were truly masterminds in their own kind. They also had incredible stamina and were exceptionally stubborn.

But now, everyone stilled as the rosette doubled over and fell to her knees, only her chakra kept her from falling down and drowning in the miniature ocean she'd created.

Neji stood over her, a blank façade was back on his face. "You don't know anything. You're just a kid who doesn't know when to shut her mouth."

Surprisingly, Sakura laughed breathlessly. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am just a stupid kid." She cut off to look Neji in the eye, and the Hyuuga was shocked at the pent up energy and pure, naked power that sat behind those emerald orbs, "But I will not back down. I will fight till I can't move, till the last of my enemies is dead. And that includes you."

Neji scoffed. "Pathetic. You're worse than that blonde brat." He kicked Sakura's side harshly making the rosette hiss. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

Suddenly, Sakura's hands wrapped around his ankle. "Hurts? Hurts?" she questioned quietly. "You have no idea what it means to hurt. I've been through all kinds of pain; emotional, after being betrayed by those whom I'd trusted the most, physical, after being at Death's door more often than I can count. The list goes on, Hyuuga. You just have to play the cards you're dealt with and make the most of it."

"Play the cards you're dealt with and make the most of it?" Neji echoed. "You can't 'make the most of it'. We're all given a destiny at birth. We cannot cheat it, as we can't run away from it. And there is only one destiny we all share. Death."

Sakura didn't comment. She just sat there, breathing heavily, staring up at him with big, sparkling emerald orbs.

"That's what you think, don't you?" she asked quietly, "That none of us have a choice. We might be given a destiny to follow, but it's strictly our choice if we follow it or not. I have cheated destiny more times than I can count. Sometimes oblivious to the fact, sometimes purposely. I was destined to die before I even had the chance to live. But I didn't die. I have cheated death and slipped away from destiny's grasp, so don't you dare tell me we don't have a choice! Only those who can't make decisions of their own succumb into the path their destiny sets for them. And it's cowardly to do so."

The entire arena was quiet. No one talked. Everyone watched the pair below with mild shock. Although just kids, they had experienced almost all of the shit this world had to offer. It was cruel.

Neji didn't speak. He just stared at the rosette, a calculating look in his eyes. Could it be true? Is it possible to cheat your destiny? She made it sound so easy it was almost believable.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of chakra and his eyes snapped to the girl in front of him. She was kneeling now, blood dribbling down her chin, but her hands were moving in a series hand sign he had never seen before.

She stared him in the eye. "Personally, I would have hoped to have saved you from the darkness which seems to haunt you. No one deserves that, even if they are cocky, insufferable gits who think they know everything."

Neji almost smiled. Even in her condition, she still managed to keep up that fiery, temperamental façade. But it was the hand signs she was making which interested him more than what she was saying. Only because of his Kekkei Genkai was he able to keep up with the speed she was making them with.

Ox - Monkey - Hare - Rat - Boar - Bird - Ox - Horse - Bird - Rat - Tiger - Dog - Tiger - Snake - Ox - Ram - Snake - Boar - Ram - Rat - Yang Water - Monkey - Bird - Dragon - Bird - Ox - Horse - Ram - Tiger - Snake - Rat - Monkey - Hare - Boar - Dragon - Ram - Rat - Ox - Monkey - Bird - Yang Water - Rat - Boar – Bird

At the last sign, Sakura stopped. She looked up at her opponent, a small, sad smile on her face. "I was hoping to avoid using this technique, but you give me no choice." She closed her eyes. **"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"**

An enormous dragon rose from the depths of the small lake Sakura had created, and shot towards Neji. It was obvious at the second it made contact with the Hyuuga prodigy who would win the match. Sakura might not have made many attacks, but those she did she did them well, making sure to leave a mark.

After everything calmed down, Neji was spotted, lying down on his back, staring at the sunny sky above. Sakura walked over to him just as he turned to look at her.

"How?" he asked, his eyes trained on the rosette's face. "I lost to you. I am Hyuuga Neji of the great Hyuuga Clan, and yet, I lost to some girl from Amegakure. How is that possible? Wasn't I destined to win?"

Sakura smiled at the boy's nostalgic words. "Sometimes it's not who you are, or how many talents you possess, but how you use those talents that you have." she said, also looking up at the sky. "As for the destiny part? I agree, I may be nothing compared to the great Hyuuga Neji, but I try. You see, when captured birds grow wiser, they try to open the cages with their beaks. They don't give up, because they want to fly again."

Neji turned to look at the mysterious slip of a girl. Then, a smile broke across his features. "I see now."

Genma walked over to them. "I declare Sakura as the winner of the third match."

Cheers and applause rang through the arena at deafening volume, yet Sakura could not stop staring at the poor, corrupted boy in front of her.

Because she knew she was the same as him.

**~::~**

**Do you likey?**


	18. She's BLIND? !

**Sorry for the enormous wait, but the chapter is finally here!**

**One tip: if you ever move schools, don't let teachers know you speak the same language – they give you a shit-load of homework on the first day…  
>-_-<strong>

**~::~**

When Sakura walked off and up the stairs of the arena she was acutely aware off all the eyes on her. She couldn't stop the tiny tinge of self-satisfaction she felt. She had defeated Hyuuga Neji. A prodigy.

Sakura sighed.

**Those med-nin sure are annoying. How many times did we have to tell them we're fine and that we can heal ourselves?**

_Four, as far as I'm concerned._

Normally, Sakura would have chastised her Inner for complaining so much, but she couldn't argue with the fact that even she was getting slightly irritated with the paramedics.

**:: Flashback::**

"_Are you sure you're alright?" _

_Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "YES. I am a medical ninja myself, I can heal a meek bruise or two."_

_The other medic, a girl just a few years older than her smirked, as if challenging Sakura to prove herself._

_The rosette sighed, and with the last bit of chakra she had, she let the delicate green glow engulf her entire body. The two ninja watched as the chakra poured from every pore in the girl's body in soft, persistent waves._

_Sakura opened her eyes. "Done. Can I go now?"_

_The male doctor just nodded, still slightly surprised but recovering._

_When Sakura walked off, but then she sensed a pair of eyes watching her intently. She turned her head and saw Ino and Shikamaru's sensei, Asuma Sarutobi watching her intently from his perch on the stands._

**~::~**

_Incredible. She fought the Hyuuga and yet she still had enough chakra to fully heal herself. I've never met a mere genin who was so acutely aware of their chakra reserves' capacity…_

What Asuma had yet to notice was the fact that she was anything but a mere genin.

Sakura smiled.

_Itachi was right…_

**~::~**

Kankuro had dropped out from his match and now Umi was paired to go against the Aburame. The red-head jumped off the stands and faced her opponent, her face split in half with a 1000 volt smile.

"Engage." Genma curtly stated.

And so the battle began…

**~::~**

Sakura flinched when she heard her teammate's blood-curling scream. This battle was certainly the most bloody out of the previous three.

The bug-wielder had somehow managed to get his bugs inside Umi's optical nerve, and everytime she used chakra the bugs would nibble on the fragile nerve, making her sight worsen with every second.

The scream ricocheted between the tall walls of the arena, its deafening volume disorientating Shino momentarily, giving Umi a gap to attack him.

But her taijutsu was different, it was a tad sloppier and slower, not its usual, lightning speed.

Shino backhanded Umi across the face, but what surprised everyone the most was the stunned look which marred his features.

"You're blind." He stated bluntly. "Blinder than a mole." Suddenly the Aburame paused. "That's why your bangs cover your left eye. You were _already_ blinded, only using your right eye. How does it feel, when my bugs had cut off the optic nerve to your _right_ eye as well?"

Gasps echoed around. Sakura was shocked. Umi was… _blind_?

She turned to stare at Shiso, who, as if sensing her stare turned to give her the same shell-shocked expression Sakura knew was on her face.

They both turned back to watch their comrade as a curt laugh rang through the air.

"I feel as if I want to stick my katana down your throat, dismember you, scalp you, then resurrect you and repeat the process over and over for revealing my best-kept secret."

Shivers run down Sakura's spine. Umi sounded so cold, so ruthless, so apathetic, so… _like her_.

"But that will have to wait. Right now I have something to prove." Umi closed her eyes as she tilted her head back, letting the onlookers see her elfin face. "Right now, my teammates need to see, need to realize, that I am not the weakest link. That I can, in fact fend off for myself. And you happen to be the perfect person." Her hands lazily lifted about chest-high and formed a single seal. Then her eyes snapped open, revealing two big, previously brown eyes.

Now those eyes were covered by a thin mist of milky white.

_She really was blind._

"**Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!"**

The earth rumbled and shook. Dust flew around everywhere. Shino's bugs scattered everywhere.

And a moment later, Umi stood in the same position, only with one hand raised up and an enormous boulder balanced on her pointer finger.

No one said anything.

Umi stared coolly at the bug wielder. "Die." She hissed, and the block of earth soaring through the small space separating the duo.

Nobody believed what they saw. Umi was tiny, fragile, breakable and impossibly cheerful. But… if so, then who on Earth was the person in the arena?

"Wha-? Is that Umi…?" Shiso chocked out.

"Yeah…" Sakura whispered back.

They watched as with a snap of Umi's fingers, the boulder crumpled into sand and dust.

There was slight movement below and Shino stood up. At first glance he looked unharmed. That was until people saw his right hand hanging off at an incredibly odd angle.

Umi grit her teeth. "You're seriously pissing me off now."

But Shino seemed to ignore her. "What is that technique? Amegakure ninja aren't supposed to be able to do Earth Release. Who exactly are you?"

**Tch. As if she's actually going to answer…**

"I was kidnaped when I was little."

**Whut?**

_Shush!_

"I was kidnapped and taken to what you now know at Otogakure." Now people were paying attention. "And there I became the test subject of the cruellest man on earth. I believe you know Orochimaru?" Umi said the last part in a sickly sweet voice which sent shivers down the watchers' spines.

**Umi… Is…Fucking…Scary…**

_Damn right._

"I was injected with the First Hokage's DNA in hopes of acquiring his ability to use Wood Release. However, the process was unsuccessful. But it did have some pros and cons, you know? One of the cons was the permanent one-eye blindness. Though I did gain something else. Something I plan to demonstrate right now."

Sakura's brain went into information-overload.

_Umi was an experiment by Orochimaru?_

_She was kidnapped?_

_She possesses special abilities?_

**Ugh! I can't think straight!**

_Then don't think at all._

By now Umi was once again doing some complicated hand seals.

"**Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"** and a moment later, **"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"**

Sakura watched, awestruck and shocked as the two jutsus intertwined, creating a devastatingly strong technique.

It was obvious who won.

Genma didn't even have to speak. But he still did.

"Winner of the match: Umi Dansu!"

Cheering filled the arena once again, but only one thought was raging through Sakura's mind;

_Is this really Umi? _

"_The _**stupid **_neither forgive nor forget; the _naive _forgive and forget; the _wise _forgive but do not forget."_


	19. We All Have A Choice

**Cookies for everyone who'd reviewed, added to favourites or alerted this story!**

**I Luv U guys!**

**Oh yeah, the first bit of SakuxMulti starts here.**

**Prepare yourself to be blown away!**

**~::~**

_Is this really Umi?  
><em> 

Sakura and Shiso were down and running to Umi before Genma even finished the announcement.

They saw as she wobbled unsteadily and just as she was about to fall down from exhaustion Shiso managed to catch her.

Umi sent him a grateful smile, though her eyes were still milky white. "Still think Earth Release is like playing with mud, Shi-kun?" she managed weakly.

Shiso chuckled. "If she can manage to be sarcastic that means that no permanent damage was done." He stated.

"So, no more brooding Umi?" Sakura asked.

"Hell no. I'm randomly awesome by nature, and remember, comedians can't be depressed. Shiso can fill that up all on his own."

"Hey!" Shiso whined. "I'm not depressed. I'm just slightly more down-to-earth than you."

"No harm done, Shi-kun, Umi-chan." Sakura joked.

"Well, apart from my eyes." The red-head pointed sadly. Then, her expression was once again serious as her unseeing eyes turned to the pinkette. "Am I strong enough, Sakura?"

_Don't grow attached. Don't grow attached. Don't grow-_

**Too late.**

"Yes, Umi-chan. I apologise if you ever felt looked down upon, or underestimated. I am also sorry if I never gave you the friendly support when you most needed it. But I didn't want to make any friends until I was sure I could protect them."

**Smooth. You just blabbed out the truth. What about secrecy?**

_Screw secrecy._

Shiso stared at her with a shocked expression. "_That_ was the reason? Sakura-chan…" he sighed.

Umi smiled. "That's so like you it _hurts_, Saku-chan."

"Now, now, since you've had your two minutes to laugh at me, can I finally heal your optic nerve?"

At once Umi's face turned from its happy cheerfulness to disbelief. "Y-You could do that…?"

"Of course. I'm a medic-nin, remember?"

"Aa. I trust you, Sakura-chan."

"Good to know. Now, close your eyes."

~::~

Sakura sighed. She was slightly better after she had a couple of minutes to rest and a chakra pill, but healing Umi's eyes left her feeling drained and exhausted.

Again.

It turned out that Umi's left eye couldn't be fully healed – whatever damage Orochimaru done to it was so strong that Umi still couldn't use her eye properly.

But her right eye was as good as new after Sakura let her chakra flow through the nerves and worked her magic. The only thing stopping Umi from using her eye now was exhaustion – she was sleeping at the temporary hospital which was organised right next to the arena.

She walked out of Umi's room, leaving the red-head alone with Shiso.

**I swear, those two have some unfinished business. I'm surprised I didn't see them snogging their faces off.**

_Too true…_

As Sakura walked by one room, she saw a silhouette of a boy with long hair tied loosely at the nape of his neck. Her first thought was _Itachi!_ but after realising how ridiculous that must've sounded, she almost slapped her forehead, marvelling at her own stupidity.

The boy behind the door was Neji.

For a moment, Sakura considered just walking away, leaving the past behind her, but then she had another feeling.

Without any further ado, she put her hand on the door knob and entered.

She couldn't just leave the past unexplained. If she did, none of them would be able to embrace the future.

**Tch. Poetic much?**

_Fuck off._

**Ooh, harsh.**

_I think I told you to sod off!_

Sakura walked into the room, and immediately froze.

There, in the corner, on the bed that was farthest away from the door, sat the crumbled, shaking figure of a boy with chestnut brown hair, his head in his hands, his shoulders slumped and shaking.

_Is he… Is he crying?_

Without raising his head, Neji spoke. "Did you come here to tell me that everything I've always believed in was fake, too?"

The anguish in his voice jerked Sakura out of her daydream, her eyes turning to look at him. Tears run freely down his face, a scroll clutched tightly in his hand.

Sakura hung her head. "No. I came here to apologise for my unforgivable behaviour towards you. We might have been enemies on the battlefield, but truly, I have nothing against you. You are, in many ways, the same as me; always striving for acknowledgement, powerful, you don't let people in easily. I'm the same."

Neji looked up at her. "I know that you've been training with Hinata." He spoke quietly. "So I also know that she'd told you why I despise the Main Branch of the Hyuuga Clan so much."

Sakura did know. She found it cruel.

"For my entire life I'd been told that my father was murdered for the better of the Clan, a doppelganger for my uncle if you wish to call it so. The name of the Hyuuga had been frowned upon for years, the villagers and shinobi pitied the Branch Family. _They_ pitied _me_. I _loathed_ it. I hated their _fucking_ _pity_. It made me look weak." Sakura was shocked. The boy was shaking, his knuckles were white. She almost missed the scroll that was thrust at her. "Read it." Neji spat.

Sakura scanned the scroll, her eyes widening with each sentence.

'…_Wanted to kill Hiashi… Couldn't let them… Volunteered… Found freedom… Escaped destiny…'_

The rosette's eyes began to water as she looked up at the older boy. She wanted to tell him that it will be OK, that what happened was the past, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

So, she offered comfort in the only way she knew how; she sat on the hospital bed next to him and gently wrapped her thin arms around Neji's shoulders, tucking his head under her chin. She could feel the boy stiffen up at her actions, but he soon relaxed. Sakura started rubbing soothing, but meaningless patterns up and down his back.

"I won't lie to you." She whispered in his ear. "I will not tell you that it will all be OK, that the Hyuuga name will be cleared, or whatnot. I won't sympathise with you either; none of my family members died. But I will tell you this – your father sacrificed himself to escape destiny. He was told to stay and help out your uncle, and yet he disobeyed him and saved him. You see, our destiny isn't carved into stone the moment we're born. We have a choice. And it's entirely our decision to make."

For a moment, Neji sat still, as if pondering over what the rosette told him, before he lifted his head to look straight at her, and Sakura was shocked at the glistening sadness she saw in his beautiful lavender eyes.

"Thank you." Was his whispered response.

Sakura smiled sadly and lifted a hand to caress his left cheek, her hand lingering there before moving to the back of his head and burying her fingers into his chestnut hair to rub calming circles into his scalp.

"You're welcome." She replied just as quietly.

At that moment, Neji knew. He knew what Sakura felt. He realised why he found her mere presence comforting.

She saw him for who he really was – the quiet, emotional, misunderstood teen, who craved acknowledgement and care.

Something no one was able to give to him.

_No one apart from her._

So when their noses touched softly, then followed by a delicate brush of lips against lips, it wasn't awkward. It didn't feel strange. It was soft and comforting.

Their lips met for a second time, this time feeling more passionate than before, the movement a bit more demanding, seeking, needing.

Both of Sakura's hands found their way into Neji's magnificent hair, tugging, twisting and massaging. It was a fight neither have experienced before; not battling for life or death, but for dominance and who would come on top.

Neji's hands had settled on the rosette's petite waist, holding her close to him as if his life depended on the small touch.

When the need for air became apparent, the duo pulled back, both slightly panting.

"I didn't realise you forgave so easily, Hyuuga." The rosette teased.

He smirked. "I am neither stupid nor am I naïve." He responded.

Sakura frowned. "What does you being stupid or naïve have to do with forgiving me for my less than acceptable behaviour?"

The smirk widened. "The **stupid **neither forgive nor forget; the _naïve_ forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget. I am wise, and therefore I can easily forgive you, but that doesn't mean I will forget."

Sakura studied the boy for a few seconds before grinning. "Just what I would expect from you, Neji. You little ever-cocky bastard."

"I was under the impression that you were kissing me no more than a few minutes ago. You change tunes quickly, Sakura-_chan_."

Sakura was about to say something else, but an colossal explosion interrupted her, making both her and Neji jump up to look out of the window, just in time to see an enormous purple shield envelop the Hokage's balcony.

"Crap." Sakura hissed.

The two run out of the make-shift hospital and onto the arena only to see black silhouettes jumping around, as ninja clashed against ninja, blood staining the ground. Sakura gazed up at the stands and saw that all the civilians and lower-rank ninja were sleeping soundly, completely oblivious to what was going on around them.

"Genjutsu." Neji muttered.

"Yeah. Listen, Neji, out of ten, how good are you at releasing genjutsu from a large number of people? Be honest please."

Neji stared right into those bright emerald orbs as he let the question sink in before answering. "Around 7."

Sakura sighed. "That will have to do. Could you go up to the stands and release any and all chuunin or above from the genjutsu? Civilians and genin should stay asleep, we don't want them getting in the way."

Normally, Neji would have scoffed or downright ignored the girl, as he was Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Neji refused to be ordered around, but seeing the begging, pleading gaze of the rosette, he gave in.

"Alright."

"Oh, and Neji? Take this as well." Sakura called back, unsealing something from a scroll and tossing it to the boy.

Neji stood still for a moment, admiring the sleek, 4 foot long katana, before turning to Sakura with a raised eyebrow.

"It will broaden your range when you preform **Hakkesho** **Kaiten**."

At his questioning stare Sakura scoffed. ""Please Neji, I am neither blind nor stupid. I know you can do it. Now, go!"

Neji smiled and with a last "Good luck, Sakura-san." he jumped over to the stands and began his duty.

"My, my, isn't that just sweet?" a mocking voice called out from the shadows. "I'm afraid you're becoming soft…_Sakura_-_chan_."

Sakura's head snapped in the direction the voice was coming from, her jaw clenching when she saw her opponent.

"_Kabuto_."

"Let's see if you're worth the effort Orochimaru-sama spent trying to locate you five years ago. What do you say, _Sakura-chan_?"

Sakura smirked. "Bring it _on_."

~::~


	20. In Search of Power

**Okay!**

**In order to honour Christmas, and in thanks to those who stuck with this story up to this point, I present you with this awesomesauce chappie!**

**ENJOY! ^_^**

* * *

><p>You know when you first say '<em>Bring it on'<em> to someone, it makes you sound cool and unafraid. Unfortunately, that's when the hard part comes into play. For some reason, most people take that phrase as a challenge, and they bring it on. And they bring it on hard.

That's why no sooner than I said those words I found myself squashed into the ground like a bug, just in time to avoid being hit by a fireball. I jumped up as soon as I could and ran over to Kabuto, fists pumped with chakra ready to strike. But the damn bastard just had to weave around swiftly, as if me flying at him with a punch that could immediately _crush_ his jaw into _smithereens_, was no big deal. Stupid prick. I swear his ego will make his head implode on one of those days… Oh, what a _glorious_ day that would be…

I was snapped out of my daydreams as a scorched corpse was bare _inches_ from grazing the side of my head. I jumped to the side and assessed the body, my jaw tensing when I saw the shiny metal of the headband.

_Suna._

**Well, **_**shit**_**.**

_Couldn't have said that any better myself._

I turned to Kabuto, eyes narrowing when I saw the cocky smirk on his face. I grit my teeth. "Would you mind explaining why the _fuck_ there are Suna nin fighting? They're Konoha's fucking _**allies**_!"

Kabuto clucked his tongue. "My, my, such harsh words coming from such a nice mouth. Hm, pity."

I hissed. "Don't avoid the question, bastard!"

He shook his head, the ever-present smirk widening. "They aren't _Konoha's_ allies anymore, Sakura-chan. They're loyal to Orochimaru-sama now. I thought that you out of all people would have realised this."

I was shaking, the killing intent that was coming off of me was thick enough to cut through it with a knife. I think that Kabuto noticed this, because the smirk on his face turned into the most feral, bloodthirsty expression I'd ever seen. That was when I realised that I would finally have to get serious. I assessed my chakra. Less than a half left. Shit.

I breathed in deeply. There was no doubt. No hesitation. I was afraid that if I hesitated I would hear that second part of me, the cowardly one that I usually managed to keep hidden would be able to persuade me that there are other methods, that I don't have to rely on the power given to me by _Him_.

I shuddered, and concentrated my chakra to that single, small spot on my collar bone. I felt the effects immediately. My _Ten no Juin_ is rather powerful as my chakra is apparently a strong force by itself. I sighed as I felt the hot trails of chakra seeping onto my skin, marking it. I had half a mind to just let it go all the way, to allow myself to bathe in the sheer, inescapable power of his chakra.

But no. if I did that, I would be admitting weakness. I would be admitting that I need his power to fight. Truth be told, I don't.

I looked up at Kabuto and saw that he was momentarily shocked, having never seen my Cursed Seal before. I smirked, and concentrated a good amount of chakra into my pointer and middle fingers.

"**Blade of Wind."** I whispered, and disappeared.

I didn't truly disappear. I just ran at such a pace that to an untrained eye, I seemed invisible.

It looked as if Kabuto finally snapped out of his daze, and turned around to block any attacks that I may have planned, but he was too late.

The chakra-enhanced blade pierced right through his right shoulder, and I made sure to channel a bit of my own, unique black chakra into the wound.

"**Paralysis Technique**." The broken whisper meant nothing to a stranger, but I saw Kabuto's eyes widen a fraction, before he raised his leg and delivered a swift kick to my abdomen, promptly making me fly back and hit one of the arena's walls with my head.

"Oww." I moaned quietly, and sent a tid bit of chakra to heal the wound. I didn't want a concussion.

I saw Kabuto furiously poking his right arm, and although the wound was long gone, and the blood had dried, I knew that he wouldn't be able to move his right arm for a good couple more hours.

Heh. Score.

But then I paled slightly when I saw the sadistic glint in Kabuto's eyes. Let me tell you this; whenever you see a medic-ninja with a sadistic glint in their eyes, there's only one piece of advice to give:  
><strong>Run Bitch, Run.<strong>

I turned, ready to flee when I had the chance, but then I felt something wrap around me. I looked down, horrified when I saw multiple snakes coiled around my torso and waist.

"**Hidden Shadow Snake Hands**." Kabuto muttered. I swore that the moment I was free I would wipe that damn smirk right off his face. The bastard looked _pleased_ with himself!

I was reduced to nothing more than watching as he walked toward me, an almost predatory look in his eyes. When he was right in front of me, he extended his hand and grasped my chin firmly. Yanking it upwards to look me in the eye, his expression changed to something almost nostalgic. I was seriously ready to puke. He smiled a phony smile that sent shivers down my spine.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen…" he purred, an odd glint passing through his eyes. "I hope that the next time we meet you can provide me with more of a challenge."

I bared my teeth, red spots obscuring his face from my sight. I was enraged. I was honestly ready to rip through those snakes with sheer muscle power. Not that I had many muscles. Damn. Let me reword that; I was ready to rip through those snakes with sheer adrenaline.

I smirked, a plan already forming in my mind. "You want a challenge, Kabuto-_**kun**_?" I murmured. "I will give you a challenge, all right! **Poison Mist!**"

I took a deep breath and exhaled, and watched with sadistic fascination as the mixture of chakra and poisonous chemicals reacted with the air. Kabuto seemed surprised, as I felt the snakes loosen their hold on me. That was all that I needed. I ripped through the snakes dispelling their hold on me for good and jumped back to avoid the fog. I scanned the arena looking for a silver ponytail but no luck. I swore and waited till the fog truly disappeared. What I saw shocked me.

Or rather, what I didn't see.

Save for four or five bloodied bodies lying around, the arena's floor was empty. Trees and grass and blood and corpses. No signs of Kabuto.

_Okay, calm down. Relax. He's not the type to flee, that's for sure. I also know that none of the bodies there belong to him. So… where is he? _

**Behind?**

I turned around, but nobody was there.

**Above? Left? Right? In front? Above?**

_No, no, no, no! But then, what does that leave us…?_

**BELOW!**

I moved to jump up, instinctively knowing which technique he'd used. But just as I was about to jump, a hand wrapped around my ankle. I cursed enough to put Hidan to shame.

_For someone with one hand disabled he sure is a __**very damn persistent**__ bastard!_

**You said it.**

I assessed my chakra for the last time. Just enough. I muttered a few barely coherent words and my hands glowed bright blue. I bend down and slashed at Kabuto's hand.

A grunt of pain and annoyance was my response.

Unexpectedly, the earth beneath my feet shook slightly as Kabuto jumped out in all his half-limping,  
>half-insane-medic-on-the-run glory. I blinked back tears as my head and back suddenly collide with one of the walls. I looked up only to see Kabuto staring down at me with frightening intensity.<p>

I whimpered when I felt the tip of his kunai slide down the column of my throat, down my chest and to my abdomen. The pressure applied was just enough to cut through the skin and bleed, but not enough to be life-threateningly painful. It was more of the fact that he held my entire life in his hand that scared me.

I blinked when the blade left my skin. I glanced at Kabuto to see him with that same predatory look in his eyes. He bent his head to whisper in my ear. "You've caused Orochimaru-sama enough trouble as it is. Allow me to end it here."

The last thing I heard was someone shouting my name. That was when the searing pain of having a kunai stabbed into my stomach caught up with my mind.

Then everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>DUN DUN DUUUN!<strong>

**I hope you enjoyed, and I apologise for the long wait. If you have any questions, ask away in your REVIEW!  
>Oh yeah, if any of you have some spare time, there is a cool story which I seriously recommend for you to read. It's SasukexOC and it's well cool. It's called <em>Daughter of Sound<em> by **Dark Akuma Hunter**.  
><strong>**Check it out!**

**~Peace out!**


	21. Marked

_I opened my eyes and groaned. Sunlight assaulted my eyes, making white dots jump before my eyes._

_Wait_… Sunlight?

_I looked around, and realised that I wasn't where I remembered to be. Tall trees stood proudly around the clearing I lay in, the crisp, green grass was slightly wet with morning rain, but the sky was cloudless and brilliantly blue above my head._

_I stared for a moment, not quite comprehending what was going on._

_It never occurred to me that this could be a dream. Everything was too real to be just a figment of my imagination. Plus, don't they always say that your dreams are what you had seen when you were alive? Well, I can assure you I've never seen anything like this. Amegakure is bleak and drab, and no matter how much I love the Village, it's just always. Fucking. Raining._

_This… this is like paradise. _

_I stood up, still admiring my surroundings, when I heard the tell-tale sounds of moving water._

_A River._

_I jogged to where I assumed the sound was coming from and gasped._

_If I thought that the clearing looked like paradise, this was even better. There was a thin stream of crystal clear water, and hundreds of small, colourful flowers littered the ground. It was quiet, save for the river and an occasional cricket chirping in the distance. I wanted to stay there forever._

_I spotted a particularly thick tree trunk and walked over to it, my necklace jingling as I went. I sat down and leaned my back against the tree, my right hand wrapping around the six red magatama which dangled on my necklace._

_I was asleep seconds later._

* * *

><p><em>I awoke to a sound of a twig snapping on the other bank of the river, and immediately jumped up, my hand automatically travelling to my kunai pouch.<em>

_Only to find out that it wasn't there._

_Shocked, I looked down and my jaw dropped. I was wearing a bloody __**hospital gown**__._

_I wracked my brain for an explanation as to __**Why**__ I was wearing a hospital gown, but then gave up, deciding to focus on the reason why I needed my kunai in the first place._

_Right. Twigs._

_I thought that if I couldn't use weapons, I would just have to focus on hand-to-hand. I started to gather chakra for the Chakra Scalpel, but I gave up soon._

_Nothing but a small flicker of blue._

Where the hell is my chakra?

_I looked around as if expecting to find it somewhere, and gasped when I saw the tree on which I was previously leaning on glowing blue._

_There was no mistaking it. The tree glowed with chakra._

_What's worse – I had a suspicion that it was __**my**__ chakra._

_I jumped at the sound of a deeply amused chuckle from behind me._

_I twirled around and my eyes widened as I saw a tall figure leaning casually against one of the trees on the opposite bank._

_I frowned. How come I didn't sense him?_

_Assessing the figure once again, I groaned._

_Trying my best to appear nonchalant about it, I spoke. "Listen, I'm in no shape to fight right now. The bloody tree sucked out my chakra, so if you have something to say, can you please just get on with it?"_

_The man just chuckled again, and quicker than I could blink, he was standing in front of me._

"_Let's play a game, little girl." He whispered. "Do you know who I am? I certainly know you…"_

_I sighed irritably. I just wanted to sleep and regain my chakra, not play some stupid mind games with a stalker._

"_See here, __**Stalker**__-__**san**__." I ground out. "I have no intention of entertaining you by participating in your little game, so could you please __**get out of my way before I decide to castrate you**__."_

_He laughed._

"_My, my, such harsh words coming from such a pretty mouth." His hand rose to gently stroke my cheek. "You really have no idea who I am, do you, Sa-ku-ra-chan?"_

_I was seething._

_Not only was he violating my personal space, he was also-_

"_Are you suggesting that I'm stupid?" there, the question was out before I could stop it._

_His eyes twinkled madly, though the rest of his face was still obscured in shadows._

"_Not stupid. Only… Inobservant."_

_I sighed again. "Elaborate."_

_I could almost feel him smirking. "Tell me child, don't you see anything __**familiar**__?"_

_The mind games again. "I hate people who speak in riddles. They make my life too damn complicated." I muttered._

_He snorted._

_But no matter how much he annoyed me, I still listened and scanned him from head to toe. Spiky, inky black hair, long cloak, armour, red magatama necklace…_

_Wait, necklace?_

_I fingered my own necklace and brought it up to my face. Sure enough, they were the same. _

_Well, that is the first thing on the list of THE NEVERENDING STRANGE THINGS ABOUT STALKER-SAN._

_I looked up at his face. A lot of it was covered in the shadows, or some crafty genjutsu, but I could see his eyes. As if sensing my stare, he locked eyes with me._

_I gulped._

_Rinnegan._

_Make that number 2 on the list._

_Something at the back of my mind was telling me that I know who this man is, that I read stories about him. But at the same time, the responsible, rational part of me demanded more confirmation._

_I glanced down again and noticed something golden flickering inside his cloak. What the?_

_He noticed my gaze and pulled it out. A rope. A thick, golden rope. _

_Strange._

"_Do you know what this is? Hm?" He asked._

_Once again, my sub-consciousness told me I did, but I didn't want to risk it so I shook my head. No._

"_This is the __**Kōkinjō. **__Ever heard of it?"_

_I had. I knew what this was. But it seemed almost impossible._

_I refocused my gaze back on his physique. I spotted a hilt of something, but it looked too long to be a sword or even a katana._

_He pulled it out._

_I gasped. I didn't need any clues or hints with this. The enormous fan-like weapon had made a frequent appearance in my history books._

"_The __**Bashōsen**__." I mumbled. I stared at the man in front of me in disbelief. "But then, that would make you…"_

"_The Sage of Six Paths. The God of Shinobi. The Savior of This World. You name it." He shrugged. _

_I mulled the information over in my head. Then, something clicked and I giggled. At his raised eyebrow I snapped. I fell to the floor, clutching my stomach and laughing my head off. He just stood above me and stared. _

_I calmed down after a few minutes and stood back up, wiping a small tear with my gown's sleeve. _

"_Mind a little explanation as to why you suddenly burst out laughing?" he asked._

_I barely stifled another giggle. "T-the books," I choked out, "They portray you as a calm, civilized, serious man with a fetish for power. Not a crazy, insane bastard who likes playing mind games. Your personality and the ones described in the books are polar opposites of each other." I explained, still grinning madly._

_He huffed. "I'm hurt." He commented sarcastically._

_I giggled again._

"_But now to the more serious matters, do you remember what happened before you found yourself here?"_

_I frowned. "Konoha was attacked… Sand was allied with Sound, and I was fighting against Kabuto…"_

_I tried desperately to see past the black splotches in my mind. My memories of that day were hazy._

"_I… I think he stabbed me… Then I woke up here…"_

"_Do you remember where exactly he stabbed you?"_

_My frown deepened. "He… He stabbed me in the stomach…" suddenly I realized something. "I should be dead."_

_He nodded. "Yes, but that's where your mission comes in."_

_I scowled. Mission?_

"_You see, your father, Pein, is planning something. I believe you are aware of his intentions – to bring peace to the shinobi world once again. But he has a slightly alarming way of achieving that. Do you know how the jinchuuriki came to be?"_

_I nodded. "The Ten-Tails' chakra was split. Each jinchuuriki just carries a fraction of that chakra."_

_He grimaced. "And do you know what your father is planning to do?"_

"_Yeah; get all the beasts." As I noticed his gaze, a horrible realization dawned on me. "So… He can… Unite them once again." I whispered._

_I stared at the Sage in horror. "He wants to recreate the Ten Tails!" I shrieked._

_The look in his eyes answered all my questions._

_I slid down the tree trunk. "But what does that have to do with me?"_

_He sighed. "I want you to stop him."_

…

…

_I burst out laughing. "Oh, that's rich! What do you suppose I say? 'Hey, Daddy, let's forget about your evil plans and go skipping in the flowers'? Seriously!"_

_He just continued staring at me and I sobered up. "You're serious."_

_The Sage just nodded._

"_Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God." I groaned. "How do you expect me to do this? I don't even have a Kekkei Genkai!"_

"_Are you sure about that?" the Sage questioned._

_I stared at him incredulously. "Yeah. I'm nothing special."_

_He gestured for me to come over to where he was standing. I obliged._

"_Look into the river."_

_I did, and gasped._

_I saw my reflection. The pink hair, button nose, irritatingly big forehead. But it was my eyes that shocked me the most. Instead of the usual emerald orbs, there was a grey, ripple-like pattern around a purple iris. _

_I couldn't believe it._

"_The Rinnegan…" I whispered._

"_Do you know why the Rinnegan was considered so special?"_

_I didn't nod, I just answered. "It was said that in times when the world is in disorder, a person is sent down from the heavens to become either a "God of Creation" who will calm the world, or a "Destroyer" who reduce everything to nothing. I know that you were the God of Creation, therefore my father is the," I gulped. "Destroyer."_

"_Correct. Every time the Rinnegan appears, the roles are switched. So far, it was only me and your father. Now it's you as well. The third wielder in over two millennia. Do you know who you are?"_

_I sighed. "The Creator."_

_He smiled._

"_But that still doesn't explain my question – I was supposed to be dead."_

"_Ah, yes. I believe I forgot to mention that until you complete your mission, you're, well… Immortal."_

_I gaped. _

"_Until we meet again, Sakura No Akatsuki."_

_I could only nod as black splotches once again covered my vision._

* * *

><p>My eyes snapped open, but I ignored the startled gasp of the person beside me. My heart was pounding madly, and my head hurt. I'm immortal.<p>

_I'm immortal…_

I couldn't believe it.

Okay, maybe not _forever_ immortal, but until I somehow manage to stop Pein.

_Well, that could take a long time…_

Finally I realized that someone was looking at me. I turned my head and noticed a rather busty blond haired woman standing next to me, her hand glowing green. A medic?

She seemed to notice my questioning gaze and the corner of her lips twitched upwards.

"Relax." She said.

I grumbled. "Easier said than done."

She chuckled. I let her place her hand on my forehead and sighed as my headache slowly disappeared.

But that didn't last long.

"Tsunade-baachaaaan!" someone yelled.

I flinched at the sound. Tsunade growled.

I watched as the idiotic blonde tumbled into the room, with another four people trailing after him.  
>I smiled slightly at the lazy boy, who returned the smile before turning to bonk Naruto over the head.<p>

"Idiot. Didn't you notice that Sakura just woke up?" Shikamaru questioned.

That made the other three people turn their attention towards me. "Forehead-chan!"

I was then tackled back into my pillows by Ino. I smiled. "Nice to see you too, Piggy."

There was a quieter, "Sakura-chan!" and I smiled at Hinata as she walked to stand beside Tsunade.

That left the last person there. I looked over to Neji who was smiling lightly and blushed slightly. I remembered the last time we were in a room alone.

Damn, that boy is a good kisser.

_Oh, shit, did I just-!_

**Yeah, you did.**

I sighed, then returned Neji's smile with one of my own.

Then I turned to the medic. "Alright, no offense, but who the hell are you?" I mumbled.

Ino gasped.

The blonde woman just laughed. "I'm Tsunade Senju. Also, the new Hokage of Konohagakure." I thought I heard her mumble a 'Unfortunately', but I couldn't be sure.

That's when something clicked.

"Wait, Tsunade as in, the Legendary Sannin Tsunade? As in, The best medic of this generation? That Tsunade?"

At her amused look I paled. "O-Oh my god, Gomenasai! I didn't mean to offend you-!"

"Relax. You just woke up. You had every reason to be grumpy." She laughed.

Then I frowned. "But if you're the new Hokage, what happened to Sarutobi?"

"He was killed by that bastard Orochimaru." Naruto piped up sadly.

I grit my teeth. "Orochimaru?" I hissed. I will wring his snake neck next time I see him.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded.

Then something dawned upon me. If Sarutobi died and had his funeral, and they managed to get a new Hokage, then-

"How long was I unconscious?" I asked.

"Just over two weeks." Neji answered.

I paled. "T-Two weeks?" I stuttered.

"Yeah Forehead, we seriously thought we lost you until Tsunade-sama arrived and said that you just suffered severe blood-loss, so you couldn't wake up until your body regained all that blood." Ino answered.

I sighed. "Well, atleast I didn't get any scars."

At Hinata's sorrowful look I felt my blood run cold. "D-Didn't I?"

Tsunade groaned. "It seems that Orochimaru's lackey, Kabuto," the way she spat his name made shivers run down my spine, "had great fun in marking you. After that kunai in your gut, he then pierced your lungs, close to your kidney, and thighs. It's a miracle you survived."

I felt faint. Lungs and kidney? I could very well be dead.

"But he felt it was necessary to mark you in his own twisted way." Tsunade continued and I felt cold seep into my body. "Look at your left forearm."

I did as told and felt angry tears gather in my eyes. There, about ten centimeters tall, stretching cruelly across my forearm, was a scar. But it wasn't a normal scar. It was a symbol. A kanji.

鬼

_Demon._

"If your sensei hadn't pulled him off you, I would fear for the worst." Tsunade stated.

I shuddered. "Could you… Could you leave? Please?" I asked in a small voice.

They nodded and filed out of the room. I closed my eyes, ready to cry, until I felt the side of my bed dip. I opened my eyes and saw Neji sitting there.

He met my gaze, and a small, sad smile pulled at his lips. "I thought I told you to be careful?" he whispered.

I sniffed lightly and nodded. "I'm sorry, Neji." A tear rolled down my cheek. And another.

He didn't say anything, just shuffled over until he was lying beside me and pulled me to his chest. "You need to let it go, Sakura-san." He said.

"B-But how can let it go, Neji?" I choked out.

"By letting it out." He whispered.

I smiled, and let the tears roll down freely, after years of being supressed.

"_Arigato, Neji-kun."_ I mumbled.

Everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>~::~<strong>

**Well? Do you likey?**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	22. Confrontation

**I'm not dead! I'm sorry I hadn't updated for so long, I was busy! And don't worry, I'm currently working on chapters to my other stories too! **

**Tell me what you think – this chappie is longer than the previous, as my way of saying sorry, and Thank You for staying with this story for so long!**

**ENJOY!**

**~::~**

When Sakura awoke the next day, she was distinctly aware that something was wrong.

Even without having to look around, she knew that Neji wasn't with her. Neither was anyone else, for that matter.

Swiftly removing the IV needle from her arm, she stood up, grasping the metal frame of the bed when her knees buckled.

Ignoring the fact that she was still in a hospital gown, she walked over to the window and jumped out. A quick flash of pain shot through her as it has been a long time since she last came outside, but she quickly straightened herself and walked over. She immediately sensed something was different as the streets seemed deserted and she couldn't spot a single ninja walking the streets.

She searched for any familiar face, but to no avail. Finally, she spotted two Chunin carrying tall stacks of books and she ran over to them.

"Hey, sorry, but where the hell is everyone?" she asked them, not bothering with any greeting.

The black-haired man looked at her and arched a brow at her attire. "Did you run away from the nut-house, or what?"

The other chunin swatted him over the head. "Ignore him. He's an idiot. But didn't you hear?"

Sakura's patience was running out. "Hear _what_?" she ground out from between clenched teeth.

"Uchiha Sasuke deflected from the village! The Hokage sent a group of genin to bring him back!" he snorted, "As if that would do any good."

Sakura ignored his last statement. Her heart was hammering madly and her breaths became shallow.

"Where did he go to?" she asked weakly.

"To the bloody snake-bastard. He left for power, or some other nonsense."

_Oh no… Not Orochimaru…_

Sakura's knees buckled and she hit the floor.

"Hey-! Are you alright?" the brown haired guy exclaimed, dropping his books and rushing over to her.

She ignored him, and instead asked another question.

"Who did Tsunade-sama send after him?" her voice shook at the end.

_Knowing Orochimaru, he wouldn't let Sasuke get to him alone. He most probably sent a group of his lackeys to retrieve him. They probably had the curse mark too_. Sakura groaned.

"Eh, I think she send a group of four genin with a newly-made chunin to lead them. We're lone on staff, you see. It will be a miracle if they-"

"I said_, Who did she send_?" Sakura hissed.

"A-Akimichi, Inuzuka Kiba, a Hyuuga and that weird Nine-Tails' demon brat, with some lazy-ass Nara as their leader-"

"Oh, fuck." Sakura grumbled.

_Chouji… Kiba… Naruto… Shika-chan… Neji… God, Tsunade send them to their death._

**Are you just going to give up like that? They are strong! You can't lose hope in them so easily! Did you not hear what the Sage said? You need to be strong! Otherwise… we might just as well give up right now.**

Sakura sobered up at her Inner's words.

_You're right._

"I wish to go with them." She told the chunin.

"Wha-! You can't! The Hokage-!"

"They are my friends. My precious people. Do you think I will just let them go like that?" she hissed.

Fury overtook her senses. All that mattered to her right now was going after them.

"We can negotiate with the Hokage, then maybe… maybe she would…" Kotetsu suggested weakly.

Sakura regarded them with a cool glare.

"Well? What are you still doing here?"

* * *

><p>Two men burst into the Hokage's office, startling her from the paperwork.<p>

"T-Tsunade-sama! Some weird Ame genin demanded to go after Sasuke Uchiha's retrieval team!"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"We don't know! It's that weird chick that floored the Hyuuga on the chuunin exams! Sakina, or something like that! She has pink hair!" Kotetsu frantically explained.

"Sakura? But what does she want?"

"She wants to go help out the retrieval team you sent out after the Uchiha-!"

"Tell her no."

"But Tsunade-sama-!"

"Tell her no, _twice_."

Sick of being interrupted, Kotetsu just hung his head. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Where is the girl?" Tsunade asked. She found out about the close friendship between the Ame girl and some of the genin from her village, mainly when she saw '_The laziest boy alive_' and '_Walking Ice-cube_' as she dubbed them, by the rosette's bedside every time she came to check up on the girl's condition. Sometimes the shy Hyuuga heiress would be there too and that blonde Yamanaka girl often came and moaned that the sleeping rosette should '_better wake up or I'll drag her shopping again'._

"We left her just outside the office, Hokage-sama, while we went in to talk to you." Izumo offered.

"Right. Go fetch her."

The two chuunin walked to the door and opened them, but the corridor was empty. No sight of the pink-haired Ame girl.

"What? But we told her to wait outside! She-!"

"You'll find, Kotetsu-san, that I rarely do as I'm told." A voice spoke from above them.

The three ninjas craned their necks to look up, and saw the very girl they had been talking about sticking to the ceiling with chakra on her feet.

She had somehow managed to exchange her hospital gown for her usual attire and she now wore a sleeve-less black shirt with a collar, a black skirt with red trimmings that stopped a few inches above her knees and fishnet leggings together with her knee-high black ninja sandals. She had bandages wrapped around her forearms and her red magatama necklace lay in clear view by her collarbones.

Sakura jumped off the ceiling, landing gracefully in front of Tsunade. Her face was schooled into an expressionless mask that even the Godaime couldn't see through.

"I expected that to be your answer, Hokage-sama. I can't say I understand your reasoning, as that would be lying, but I won't go against your decision. However, I do have one more thing to ask of you." When the Hokage didn't answer, Sakura went on. "I will leave the Village Hidden in the Leaves. My team can join me if they wish to do so, but whatever they choose, I must still go. I don't want to overstay my welcome. And that brings me to what I would like to ask of you." The rosette pulled out four identical scrolls. She laid them on the Hokage's desk. "As my final wish, I would like to ask for those scrolls to be delivered to four specific people. They are all addressed, so finding their receiver shouldn't be a problem. However, I do ask that they do not be opened. _Until. Their time. Comes_." Sakura whispered the last part.

Tsunade smiled lightly. "Right. You may leave, and your wish will be fulfilled, but there's just one more thing I need to say." Tsunade rose from her chair and walked over to one of the wooden cupboards stuffed in the office.

Pulling open one of the drawers, she pulled out a green vest. A very familiar green vest.

"Congratulations. You have been promoted to Chuunin-level, together with your team and Nara Shikamaru."

Sakura smiled. But there was something unsettling about her smile. She took the vest from Tsunade, before she bared her teeth in a slightly feral smile.

"Arigato, Tsunade-sama. However, you'll soon discover that you shouldn't have done that." then, before Tsunade or anyone else could stop her, she disappeared in a swirl of red petals.

* * *

><p>Tsunade picked up one of the petals that had dropped onto her desk. Her eyes widened.<p>

The flower petal was wet.

Bewildered, the Hokage wiped off the scarlet mixture, revealing a pale pink petal underneath. Bringing one red-stained finger to her nose, she sniffed.

Tsunade paled. "Oh no…"

_Blood._

* * *

><p>Sakura cursed. She forgot to put up the glamour Genjutsu onto her petals, so now they appeared like they normally did when she was in Akatsuki – blood stained.<p>

She doubted it would take long for the Hokage to figure out who she was.

She sighed. So much for being able to live without fearing her own shadow.

Suddenly, the door banged open and Umi walked in. Sakura could vaguely see the shaped of Shiso and their sensei behind her.

"Saku-chan! You've been released from the hospital!" Umi cried, launching herself at the stunned rosette.

But Shiso was always more cautious of his surroundings. He immediately noticed the large scroll on Sakura's bed, and the numerous clothes and weapons she possessed gathered around it.

"Are you going somewhere, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura sighed, her green vest slung carelessly around her shoulders as she turned to face her teammate. "I need to leave the village, Shi-kun. Should you wish to come with me, I would be honoured. But even if you choose to stay, I still need to leave."

She swept her gaze over her sensei, then Umi, who was smiling lightly but there was a strange air of seriousness around her, and then back to Shiso.

"There's no way you're leaving without us."

* * *

><p>They have been travelling for three days now, and although all of them showed some signs of fatigue, they were too stubborn to stop. Finally Kaimei sensei demanded that they have a break, when Umi almost tripped over her own feet. They stopped in a clearing, their makeshift camp set up and a small fire flickering cheerfully in the middle.<p>

Although tired, there was one more thing Sakura needed to do before she let sleep take over.

She concentrated hard, groping around in the dark recesses of her mind for that connection Itachi had taught her about. Finally she found it and pulled. A startled gasp left her lips as she felt her mind being sucked into another space. It was almost like the Body-Flicker Technique, but this time it was not her whole body flickering from one place to the other, but her mind.

When the earth once again stilled and the pounding in her head receded, Sakura opened her eyes.

She was faced with a tall, round building of red brick and high windows. Next to it was something that resembled a hospital. Sakura saw a puddle nearby and walked over to it. She didn't see the usual pink hair, emerald eyes, emotionless façade. Instead, she saw golden eyes, black feathers, and a strong, predatory beak.

A crow.

She possessed the mind of her crow.

_All hail Itachi. That man is a genius in all aspects of that word._

Slowly stretching out her new wings, Sakura gave a testing flap. She then increased the flapping until she felt her body being lifted from the ground. She flew over to the window which she knew was the Hokage's office and looked inside.

It was empty, with only a cracked bottle of sake, piles of paperwork and a suspicious-looking file on the desk.

Sakura flew in using the gap in the open window, and settled on the desk. Nudging the file open with her beak- which by the way gave her the weirdest feeling ever – she scanned over the text, and gave a quiet, surprised caw at what she realised was a patients' file.

What's worse, it was the patients' file of Sasuke's Retrieval Team.

**Inuzuka Kiba:  
>Unconscious.<br>Injuries: Major scrapes and bruises, two broken ribs, internal bleeding.  
>State: Stable. <strong>

Sakura's eyes widened, then she relaxed. At least his injuries weren't life-threatening.

She moved over to the second page and scanned over Naruto's file. He was almost the same as Kiba, but he was already conscious.

_Che. Thank the Nine-Tails' chakra._

Then came Neji's file. Sakura tensed as she read over it, another strangled caw escaping her.

**Hyuuga Neji:  
>Unconscious.<br>Injuries: Four broken ribs, punctured lung, internal bleeding, external wounds.  
>State: Under Observation.<strong>

Sakura relaxed.

Chouji's file was similar to Neji's, and Sakura had a feeling that they were both still being healed.

Shikamaru's file was absent.

For a moment, panic overtook her senses before she realised what must have happened.

_He was the leader of the group. If they separated to fight their own opponents it's possible that Shikamaru was the very last to leave the group… Or they got help._

She froze when she heard footsteps on the corridor outside of the office. She quickly shut the file and flew over to the window, disappearing from sight just before Tsunade walked into the office with a bunch of ANBU.

But what she didn't realise, was the single, black feather she left in her wake.

* * *

><p>Sakura gasped as she once again found herself in the clearing, propped up by a tree-trunk. Eyes wide and her breathing laboured, she tried to calm her frantic heart. She looked around and noticed Kaimei-sensei staring at her with concern in his eyes.<p>

"You okay Sakura?" he asked.

"Yeah, sensei. I'm fine. I'll take the first watch if you don't mind." She stated.

"Sakura…" Kaimei sighed. "You need to sleep. Don't think I haven't noticed."

"Please, sensei? Just three hours and I'll go and try to sleep."

They both knew that she was lying. Insomnia haunted the pinkette ever since she left the hospital. She stayed up all night keeping watch, not waking Umi or Shiso when it was their turn. But it seemed that only Kaimei noticed.

"All right. But tomorrow you must sleep. Promise me that."

"I promise, sensei."

* * *

><p>She didn't sleep. She sat for two hours straight, her back straight, her expression unreadable. Eyes trained on a single spot between the trees, she thought of her past.<p>

Memories, flashback blinking in and out of her mind, and she realised that she lacked something. Every two images her mind conjured from her past, she felt one was missing.

Every two steps forward she had to take one step back.

She tried to concentrate on the memories, but all she saw where white or black splotches of _something_ covering her vision.

Sakura dismissed it as exhaustion and the beginnings of paranoia.

That's when she heard it.

The unmistakable sound of a twig snapping.

_Che. And I thought ninjas were meant to be stealthy._

She was aware of the fact that someone had been following them for the past few hours.

Now she could finally confront them.

Sakura rose from her perch against the tree trunk and walked in the opposite direction than the sound had come from. If a confrontation was to take place, she would make sure it was as far away from her teammates as possible. She owed them as much.

A few minutes later found Sakura in a clearing, the moonlight serving as the only source of light.

Without looking back, she quickly swiped a kunai knife from her pouch and threw in behind her. She heard the tell-tale sound of someone catching their breath as the knife struck home, ebbing itself in a tree-trunk, millimetres from an ANBU's head.

"Come out you cowards." She commanded. Her voice was icy cold. But that was to be expected. She was a killer. A criminal. A machine. She was her _Father's daughter_.

Ten figures stepped out of the shadows, all dressed in Konohagakure's ANBU gear.

_Damn._

"You wear Konoha's chuunin vest. Pray tell then, why were we ordered to hunt you down and with specific orders to bring you back _alive_?" a gruff voice questioned.

While in the protection of shadows, Sakura smiled. "I will answer your question if you answer mine; who am I dealing with?"

The ANBU seemed to consider her request for a moment before he sighed.

"Ibiki Morino." In truth he didn't expect her to recognise him or his name, so he was surprised when she laughed.

"Of course… ANBU Captain, Head of the Torture and Interrogation Department, a jounin at 16… How fitting…" she chuckled. "But I'm afraid that won't make any difference…" she sighed in false sadness, and Ibiki saw the barely concealed mirth and sadism in those emerald pools.

"GET HER!" He roared.

But it seemed his command was too late. The girl had already attacked two of his men, a swift punch to the nose crushing the skull in, and a well-aimed kick to the abdomen.

He was losing.

Fast.

* * *

><p>Sakura unsheathed her katana, her grip on them steady even when her entire body was trembling with adrenaline. She dove in and drove the sword into one of the ANBU's chest, killing him instantly.<p>

_For my ninth birthday, my father told me that if aimed well, a single strike to the back would be enough to kill a grown man. That was his birthday present for me. _

She slashed at another ANBU, her katana meeting no resistance and soon the ninja collapsed to join his fallen companions.

_Well, let's test his theory._

Pulling out her second sword, Sakura skilfully drove them into another two's abdomen.

Six down, four to go.

Suddenly, her foot caught on a piece of wire. Before she could react, a barrel of kunai shot towards her. A standard genin-level trap… And I fell right for it.

Sakura looked around anxiously, but she already knew that there was no way out.

_**Are you going to give up so easily?**_ A teasing voice spoke in her mind. Sakura gasped quietly. It wasn't her inner_**. I thought you had a mission to accomplish? How can you do that if you're dead?**_

The teasing banter of the Sage awoke an unthinkable anger in her, raw hate for anything and everything that got in her way…

Before she knew what she was doing, she had already turned around, one hand raised palm-up in the air, just as previously foreign words came out of her mouth.

"**Shinra Tensei**!" she yelled. A huge, repellent force pushed all of the kunai knifes away from her, redirecting them back to where they came from. In a matter of seconds, the four ANBU were all on the ground, dead, dying or badly injured.

Sakura heard a groan come from one of the bodies. She walked over and ripped off the mask. Ibiki Morino's face was revealed. Sakura smirked.

She moved her hand atop of the man's chest, pouring white chakra into him.

His eyes cracked open.

"I'm healing you, just so you can give the Godaime a message from me. Disobey my command and I'll kill you." She threatened. The ANBU interrogator nodded weakly. "Tell her, that Akatsuki No Sakura did this. Describe me to her if you must. Tell her that next time, she shouldn't trust strangers, or rather, should check the Bingo Book she so conveniently hides in the drawer of her desk. Tell her, that she better start believing in ghost stories." A maniac glint shone through the pinkette's eyes. "She'd just become a part of one."

* * *

><p>Tsunade looked at the Rookie 11 gathered before her. 4 teams. Only one chuunin.<p>

She sighed.

_I better tell them what the council decided about Sasuke… Naruto won't take it well…_

Just then the door to her office burst open. All attention was immediately directed towards the intruder. Tsunade's eyes widened.

There, bloodied, bruised and barely conscious, stood Ibiki Morino, probably the fiercest man Tsunade had ever known.

"Ibiki? What happened? Where's your squad? Why are you so wounded?"

The man was gasping for breath as he looked up at her, and she knew the answer simply from the desperate, broken look in his eyes.

_Dead. His squad is dead._

"Who did this to you?"

The man was only able to get out three words before he slumped to the ground, unconscious. Three words that froze Tsunade's enire body.

"_Akatsuki…No…Sakura…"_


	23. Saying 'Goodbye'

**Right. I apologize for any of the confusion the previous chapter might've caused you, and, as one of the oh-so-kind anonymous reviewers pointed out, the whole **_**'I'm a good shinobi at one moment, the next I kick puppies and burn ants**_**' was a bit weird.**

**Okay, **_**very**_** weird.**

**So I made a sorta-kinda filler that will hopefully help things run more smoothly and let the **_**real**_** action begin.**

**Oh, and by the way, I received some comments about people not really liking the tiny bit of NejiSaku fluffiness, and I understand that, but just so you know, in the summary, it says MultiSaku, which basically means, multiple pairings with Sakura in them. So apologies, but if you don't like NejiSaku you'll just have to deal. **

**Or send me a request for a pairing. I can deal with that.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>"<em>Akatsuki…No…Sakura."<em>

_Silence._

"Tsunade-sama… What does that mean?" Kiba questioned.

Tsunade sighed and looked from one ninja to the other. Most looked curious, some surprised, but only Hinata looked worried.

"It means… It means that Sakura of Ame is a cover name. A trick used to gain our trust."

Ino looked confused. "A cover for what though?"

The Godaime rubbed her temples. "A criminal." She levelled everyone with a cold, calculating look in her eyes. "You've all become acquainted with her. Some more than others. You've all fallen for her incredible charm and quick wit. You trusted a criminal. A killer. She manipulated you all into trusting her. Caring for her. That was her aim all along."

Neji and Shikamaru, as well as everyone else stared at the Hokage, dumbfounded.

"She managed to wrap you all around her little finger. She used the trust you placed in her to achieve her own goals. She even got me to take care of her, to trust her. But there's nothing of that left now. She chose her own path as a kille-"

"That's _bullshit_!"

Everyone froze. Slowly, all heads turned towards the person who had spoken, their eyes widening as they saw the small, fragile Hyuuga heiress, her hands balled into fists, an angry red blush staining her cheeks.

"Excuse me?" Tsunade asked sharply.

"What you were saying…" Hinata ground out angrily, ignoring the shocked looks directed at her. "Was a _lie_. You know it. I know it. Sakura-chan _helped_ me. She did what no one else was willing to do. She _believed in me_." Hinata spat. "I will not let anyone talk badly about her. Not after she was the only one who even remotely cared. Even slightly acknowledged me."

Neji stared at his cousin, a mix of shock and pride evident in his eyes.

"I trained with her for an entire month before the Chunin Exams. I know what Akatsuki does. She told me. They want the Bijuu. As well as the Kekkei Genkai. I have the Byakuugan and information about Naruto-kun. She could have questioned me. Tortured me. Kidnapped me as a bait. She did none of that. _She. Was. A. Good. Person_!" Hinata shrieked.

Silence rang clear as a bell through the small room. Everyone was shell-shocked at the supposedly shy girl's outburst. Hinata hung her head, her bangs shadowing her eyes.

"_Show her some respect. Please."_

* * *

><p>Sakura sneezed.<p>

"Coming down with a cold, I see?" Shiso asked as he crawled out from his tent.

"Nah. Ninjas don't get colds, Shi-kun. Someone must've been talking about me." Sakura replied good-naturedly.

"Yes, yes, because the world revolves around our dear Sakura-chan." Umi replied sarcastically as she too exited her tent, the sleeping bag still cocooned around her small body.

"Not a morning person, are you, huh Umi-chan?" Sakura teased.

"No." Umi grumbled. "But I at least get _some_ sleep, unlike _other people_." She pointed out.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shiso asked.

"Well, Shi-kun, did you do guard duty last night?"

Shiso stared at the brunette, a puzzled frown etched on his features. "No."

"What about the night before that? Or the night before _that_?"

"Uh…" Shiso's eyebrows scrunched together. "No. I did two hours guard duty on the first night. I just assumed that you were switching it between everyone."

"Exactly. So did I. But guess what Shi-kun? Turns out we were wrong." Umi remarked.

Sakura was cursing inside her head. Why, oh why did Umi choose that exact day to be perceptive? Sakura would have given an arm to make Umi stay as the oblivious, happy-go-lucky girl she'd known for the past two months.

"But… That would mean that it was just Kaimei-sensei and Sakura-chan swapping the guard duty between each other." Shiso frowned.

"That's right. And since I don't really think that Kaimei-sensei is the kind of guy who would give up precious hours of his beauty sleep just to make a group of Chuunin feel better, I believe that we'd come to a conclusion as to why or rather _how_ we had peacefully slept for the past four days instead of freezing our asses off in the middle of the night."

Finally understanding what Umi was getting at, Shiso's eyes widened before they both turned their accusing gazes to their rosette friend.

"Well?" they questioned in unison.

**You know… I like it much more when they argue and fight…**

_Yeah… This is downright creepy…_

**Should we tell them the truth?**

_I guess…_

"Look guys, I've just been having some pretty whacked up dreams and that resulted in temporary insomnia. I don't want to go to sleep. You two were allowed to stay blissfully oblivious to the ugliness of the world and had just recently begun to see it as it really is. Bloody. Deadly. Unfair. I was exposed to that when I was still just a child. So please, just let it go." Sakura pleaded.

Her plea for understanding was met with silence. Just as she thought that they would tell her to get her head out of the clouds, or reject her, she felt two pairs of arms wrap around her middle.

"G-Guys?"

"We're sorry, Sakura-chan." Shiso began.

"We always knew you've seen more than you let on, but we never knew that it was that serious. We were just trying to look out for you." Umi concluded.

Sakura smiled. Their words meant the world to her. The Akatsuki were her family, and she cared for them, but kindness is not the most popular emotion between criminals. Even if she managed to beat Hidan or Sasori in a spar, she knew that she would always be weaker. Even if she could answer Itachi's questions, or persuade him to play shougi with her, she knew that she would never be on the same intellectual level as him.  
>After a while, she got used to being second-best. And the fact that she was only another piece in the game for dominance her father was playing no longer brought tears to her eyes.<p>

So when she heard someone who she'd only know for a few weeks say what could possibly be the kindest thing she'd ever heard, she couldn't hold it in anymore.

_Her mask broke._

"You know guys, I'll never think of you as teammates." She declared.

Umi paled, and Shiso moved to let go of her, taking her declaration as rejection.

But they both froze when thin, but strong arms wrapped around their shoulders and they felt Sakura's hands lightly stroking their backs in a comforting way.

"_You'll forever be my best friends. My only friends_." She whispered.

* * *

><p>As her body shook with quiet sobs, Hinata traced her fingers over the tear-stained scroll. She fingered the small holes in the paper where her friend's pen had pressed so hard that it pierced the delicate surface of the scroll.<p>

Tears rolled down her pale cheeks and landed on the paper with a soft _splat, splat, splat_, as she reread the letter for the fifth time.

_**Dear Hinata,**_

_**I apologise for my cowardice. I was afraid that if I were to talk to you directly, my barrier would break. I imagine, that by now the news of who I really am had gotten to Konoha. I trusted you with the information, and you cannot imagine how much it means to me that you kept silent for all this time.**_

_**However, I am now like the Uchiha. A criminal. It's only a matter of time before the Godaime sends assassins after me. She knows I know too much. It is possible that I'll die before I get the chance to see you again. **_

_**Time is running out, so I will tell you what I should've told you long ago:  
>You are strong. Possibly stronger than me. And as much as I know you will deny it, it's the truth.<strong>_

_**Because true strength is not how many jutsus you know, or how big your chakra reserves are.**_

_**It's what are you willing to risk for those you love. What are you willing to sacrifice.**_

_**You made me see that, and for that, I am eternally grateful.**_

_**One last thing – I know you think of me as a friend. Someone precious. But I must ask you to put it all**_ _**in the past. Because it will make everything easier…**_

**When I ask you to kill me.**

_**-Sakura**_

Hinata let one last sob escape as she gazed out of her bedroom window and she marvelled at the peaceful, calm, seemingly unhurried sun setting, slowly disappearing behind the horizon.

_It's like it has all the time in the world…_ She thought.

She glanced at the letter, thinking about one particular line that stood out to her in her friend's good-bye letter.

The raven-haired girl sighed.

"Oh, Sakura-chan…" she whispered. "I'll never be as strong as you…"

* * *

><p>Neji stared intently at the piece of parchment before him, as if his glare would make the message the pinkette was trying to convey clear.<p>

_**Destiny is no matter of chance, Neji. It is a matter of choice: It is not a thing to be waited for – it is a thing to be achieved.**_

Then, in a flash, he remembered. The day he lost his first match. The day she beat him.

_"That's what you think, don't you?" she asked quietly, "That none of us have a choice. We might be given a destiny to follow, but it's strictly our choice if we follow it or not. I have cheated destiny more times than I can count. Sometimes oblivious to the fact, sometimes purposely. I was destined to die before I even had the chance to live. But I didn't die. I have cheated death and slipped away from destiny's grasp, so don't you dare tell me we don't have a choice! Only those who can't make decisions of their own succumb into the path their destiny sets for them. And it's cowardly to do so."_

It was then that he knew what she wanted him to do.

Sakura…

_She wanted him to choose his own path._

* * *

><p>"Finally!" Umi cheered as they neared the gates that led to Amegakure. "It's so good to be back!"<p>

Shiso laughed at her childish antics. "I can honestly say I missed this place." He looked around. "Even the ever constant rain."

Umi turned to face her pink-haired teammate. "What about you, Saku-chan? Did you miss home?"

Sakura was at loss as to what to say. She had thought that she would feel at least a bit happy about returning, but strangely, she just felt… empty.

_**Because this isn't your '**_**home'**_**. **_

Sakura almost jumped. The voice of Inner was irritating, but having the Sage randomly shoot out questions or comments at her was even weirder.

_What do you mean? I grew up here. I should feel at least a bit pleased._

_**You are a Creator, Kami-sama's own creation, and a shinobi. Your only 'home' is on the battlefield.**_

Sakura tried to stifle a snort. Kami-sama. Che.

_**Don't you believe in God?**_

The rosette froze momentarily. _I shouldn't have to answer questions asked by a voice of a man who died centuries before my birth, who, to top it all off, lives in the back of my mind_. She thought. But somehow, she couldn't resist answering.

_I don't know. I didn't mean for it to sound like I had stopped believing in God. I'd just stopped believing God cared. There might be a God, and there might not, but I don't think it matters. Either way, we're on our own._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Sakura-chan?" Umi whispered to the rosette. "Why are people staring at you?"<p>

It was true. When they entered the village many people stopped and nodded to Sakura, while others bowed.

Just as Sakura was about to answer, a young woman stopped before the group and bowed to the pinkette. "It's good to have you back, Sakura-hime." She then stood and walked off.

Umi stared at Sakura. "Sakura-_hime_? As in, _**that**_ Sakura-hime? Pein-sama's daughter? The Princess of Ame?" she questioned.

Sakura sighed. "Yes Umi. _**That**_ Sakura-hime."

Shiso jumped in as he noticed Umi getting ready to fire out another group of questions. "Umi stop! You're scaring Sakura!"

"How can you not be surprised? We spent the past two months with a _princess_!"

"For me to be a princess, my father would've to have been King. But he's not. I'm Sakura, Umi. Just Sakura."

"You've treated her normally for the last two months. I can see she wants you to treat her normally now too." Shiso added.

"But-! But how did you know?"

"She said that when she introduced herself, remember? _Hello, I am Akatsuki No Sakura_. If you weren't being such an idiot then maybe you would've remembered!"

Umi stopped. "Oh yeah…" she muttered.

Shiso rolled his eyes and motioned for Sakura to continue walking with him. Sakura smiled when she heard him mutter a 'C_razy kid. How did she even become my girlfriend?_' as he walked with her.

They were a good 10 meters away when they heard and unmistakeable sound of thumping feet and a shriek of '_Hey! I'm not an idiot_!'

Sakura laughed. _Ah, good times…_

* * *

><p><strong>So, did you like it?<strong>

**Oh, and yeah, if you want to have any of your favourite pairings with Sakura, and I will try to fit them in. Just remember, I have to keep it T rated ;P**

**Ja ne!**


	24. Reunion

**Hello lovelies! Thank you for the wonderful reviews I'd received for the last chapter!**

**So far I had received requests for:**

**ItaSaku,  
>SasoSaku,<br>ShikaSaku  
>HidaSaku<br>and a surprising request for ShisoxUmi.**

**(No particular order)**

**I will try my best to include those pairings, and I'm still open for more suggestions.**

**Now, I had recently been informed about the '**_**Tobi situation'**_** and I have to say, it messed up my plan for this story a bit. I was planning to make Tobi reveal himself as Madara, and whatnot, but now, knowing that Tobi and Madara were two separate people, I have to think of a new plan.**

**But do not worry, I think fast! ;P**

**WARNING!  
><strong>**This chapter will focus on the relationship Sakura has with Itachi. It's a tad angsty, but all the angst will be explained soon. Ignore Sakura's rambling if you see any – in my story, she will be a deadly criminal, good friend, and nostalgic pacifist. It doesn't make sense right now, but I promise you, it should by the end of the next few chapters!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>We had separated. Happy tears and promises to stay in touch accompanied our departure, as we each went our separate ways. In a rare show of emotion, I ran over and hugged Kaimei-sensei. He was my real sensei and will forever have that special place in my heart, even if this whole thing had been an off-the-record mission. I didn't care about father's orders anymore. I didn't care that emotions made you weak. Those three people were the closest I had ever gotten to having a family. A <em><strong>real<strong>_ family; a family that cares for you, cries with you, and protects you, but not in the way that made you feel sheltered.

They were my precious people. The sad thing was, I was probably never going to see them again. The life of a criminal didn't really have much space left for a social-life.

I remember the last few seconds before we parted ways. Shiso, Umi and I stood together, their arms draped over my shoulders and mine over theirs'.

"_Team 101 forever, right guys?"_ Shiso asked quietly.

I nodded, smiling slightly. "_Forever_," I said.

"_And always."_ Umi finished.

Shiso smiled brilliantly, his hazel eyes flickering in the misty darkness of a typical afternoon in Amegakure. _"Good. Because as annoying as you both might be, you are my teammates, my comrades, and my best friends."_

I couldn't help it. Using their temporary distraction, I pulled them into a three-way bear hug.

"_Thank you, Umi, Shiso. For everything…" _

I snapped back to reality. I would miss them both dearly, I knew it. But I also knew that I had to let them go. It would be dangerous for them to stay connected with me, considering the dangerous mission I've been assigned to.

_If you love something, let it free._

_If it comes back, it was meant to be._

I don't know where I read that, but I never realised just how true its meaning was.

I sighed as I noticed where my feet had led me to. It was time to put the events of the past two months behind me. The feeling of not having to fear every second of my life was pleasant, but I knew it could not last. I was a criminal, whether I liked it or not. I had killed dozens, maybe hundreds in a space of seven years. I was not to be trusted.

But was it too much to ask for, to just feel accepted? Just once?

I, like Itachi, was born into a world of war. He was just a child when the Third Shinobi War took place.  
>My upbringing was similar. Because I was born in Ame, I was constantly exposed to war. Blood, gore and death had haunted my nightmares since I was an infant. That's what made Itachi and I similar; we both had experienced war at a very young age, and it shaped us both into pacifists.<p>

I wanted peace between the Shinobi Nations, but I knew that it was just a dream. There can never truly be peace. Not as long as there is still suffering.

So, gazing up at the tallest of the skyscrapers, also known as Pein's or God's Tower, I finally understood the last thing that connected me to Itachi:

We were both perfect actors.

Forced into pretending to be who we were not, avoiding manslaughter as much as possible, carrying a burden that no one could help us with.

Itachi had to kill his own family, lie to his own brother, mess with his mind. Scarring the boy mentally, turning him into a revenge-centred killing machine.

My burden was the same. I had to kill the one who gave me life. My own father. My own blood. And all of those unfortunate souls who stood in my way.

I shook my head. Why did it have to be us? Itachi had already suffered too much, he shouldn't have to go through this as well! I didn't care what happened to me. I could very well die tomorrow as long as Itachi got his justice.

Then I realised something. My heart skipped a beat. Itachi was the only person I could relate to – he understood me without the need for words. When I was younger, I thought we were soulmates, and I managed to convince myself that _**IF**_ I loved Itachi in a way that wasn't even close to the platonic relationship I have with him now, loved him as a _**mate**_, then _maybe_, my young, inexperienced mind had convinced me, _maybe_ we wouldn't have to suffer. Maybe we could rely on each other to get through the hard mission that had been assigned to us.

But I had realised, that, while I still loved Itachi, we could never be truly together. Our similarities were striking, but it was our differences that made us who we were. While we were both pacifists, Itachi always had that sacrificial streak that I lacked before I had met Hinata. I never understood before why he had made his little brother hate him. It was always a mystery to me.

Now I finally knew the truth. I put two and two together.

Everytime we talked, Itachi always told me that he wanted to fight with Sasuke, wanted to make their last battle memorable. But he never answered when I asked him what he planned to do _after_ the battle.  
>Now I knew why.<p>

He didn't want an '_after'_, didn't plan to have a '_future'_.

_He wanted Sasuke to kill him._

With that in mind, I bolted straight for the tower, hell-bent on talking him out of it, or beating some sense into him.

And reporting to Pein about the mission?

_To hell with Pein. Itachi always had, still does and always will come first._

* * *

><p>Once at the top, I slammed my hand onto the chakra-enforced door that only opened to specific chakras, so that no one who wasn't a member of the organization could enter. I composed myself and once the door opened I ran in, and came face-to-face with Konan.<p>

"Sakura!" she exclaimed, shocked to see me after two months away.

"Mother." I acknowledged her, inwardly cringing at the iciness of my voice. I never intended to be angry at her, but I thought that if she hadn't encouraged Pein like she did, then maybe I wouldn't have ended up in my current predicament.

I decided to get straight to the point. "Where's Itachi-sensei?" I tried to ignore the tiny prick of guilt when I saw her face drop. She probably expected me to run into her arms and hug her, telling her how much I had missed her. Or cry because I didn't pass the Exams, I thought as I saw her stare at my chuunin vest.

"So you passed?" she questioned.

I tried not to feel to annoyed or upset when I detected the obvious surprise in her voice.

"Yes." I stated, "But that's unimportant right now. I need to find Itachi-sensei. Do you know where he is?" I inquired once again, growing impatient.

I saw her eyes harden. "Itachi was sent away for a mission. He shouldn't be back for another two days."

I cursed and turned in the direction of father's office. Just as I was about to leave, I stopped, and added without turning around, almost as an afterthought, "You know, Mother, sometimes I wonder if it would hurt you to atleast _pretend_ that you are proud of me."

Then I walked off.

* * *

><p>I raised my hand to knock on the door that led to Pein's office, but then I heard a voice from inside. A voice that definitely didn't belong to my father.<p>

"_So, the girl had returned_." A deep voice said.

"_Yes, I sensed her chakra when she entered the village_." Father replied.

"_She is still oblivious as to what you're really aiming for. But remember_, _Pein_," the unknown man paused, _"If she becomes even the slightest, tiniest obstacle in my plan, I will dispose of her. And you'll let me."_

I stood in silence, my heart hammering so hard I was afraid it would burst out of my chest.

"_Yes. I'll let you… Madara-sama…"_

I froze. In that moment, the last amount of love for father vanished, never to return. He didn't care. It should've been obvious, expected, but it still hurt when he admitted it.

I was tempted to just run off and ignore Pein completely, but I still had a mission report to hand in.

_Think, Sakura; What would Itachi do?_

That had become my way out of troublesome situations. I trusted Itachi's incredible intellect, as well as his ability to get out of any nasty or unwanted situations.  
>And it was because of this, that I realised what I should do.<p>

_Compose yourself, and pretend you didn't hear a word. Act oblivious._

And so I raised a hand and knocked on the door twice. The sound of scurrying and a quick boast of chakra signalled that whoever had been in the room had used a teleportation technique.

"Come in."

I did.

* * *

><p>I was surprised when I entered the office, but I masked it well. No longer did the office feel like a cosy, cool room to spend my time in when I wasn't training or on a mission.<p>

It felt strangely… sinister. Or maybe the office hadn't changed at all, but it seemed like it had because my view of Father had changed.

_How could I have been so blind?_

All this time, he'd never congratulated me after mastering a particularly strong jutsu, never once showed gratitude after I healed his men, never even hugged me. He was like walking ice – the perfect example of a Destroyer.

And as I realised that, I felt strangely… relieved. I no longer had to worry if I was pleasing her father or not. I finally understood why he never praised me – he just never really cared. After all, why should he? I was just a meaningless tool.

"You have returned." It was more of a statement than anything else.

"Yes I have, father. The mission was a success."

"Do not expect any felicitations. It is expected of a ninja to complete their assignment."

"I do not expect any, father. I have completed my mission – gathered information on the Kyuubi host and the Uchiha, befriended the Konohagakure ninja and gained allies. My mission is over." I replied.

"Your mission is failed." Pein hissed. I raised a brow and frowned inwardly. I failed? How? My question was answered when he spoke again. "Your mission was to gather information and _allies_. Not **friends**," he spat the word like a curse. "Bonds make you weak. I would've thought my daughter was more skilled than that." He finished, his cruel words having only little effect on me.

"Being skilled isn't all that's it's made out to be. When you're strong, you become arrogant and withdrawn. Even if what you sought after was your dream. I refuse to become arrogant. You fill up that spot perfectly by yourself." And with that said, I threw him the mission scroll and stalked out of the room.

_This was not the Pein I once knew._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Two days later: No one's P.O.V<strong>_

It had been two days since Sakura walked out on her father, and he hadn't called her in since. At first, it was pleasant to be reunited with Deidara, Hidan, Sasori and others, but while Itachi wasn't there it wasn't the same.

_Thinking of Itachi, he should've been back by now. _Sakura thought,

The rosette then threw yet another kunai at the target mat, hitting the middle. Although it was the middle of the night, Sakura couldn't sleep. Her worry for Itachi and the neverending guilt she felt every time she thought of her _'assignment'_ successfully diminished any and all chances she had for getting a good night's sleep.

So she did what she always did – went outside to train.

It was something around two o'clock when a figure appeared by the trees. They watched as the pink-haired girl went through hand-sign after hand-sign, a clone of her standing tall before her, its' eyes glazed over, and a small trickle of blood coming out of its' mouth.

_Genjutsu_. The figure thought. _She's practicing genjutsu on her clone._

Itachi stared at Sakura for a while longer, watched as her tired face became illuminated by the moonlight, and then, just as he stepped forward to reveal himself, both, the pinkette and her clone disappeared.

The raven-haired teen looked around the clearing cautiously, silently calculating where she could've gone.

A musical laugh echoed through the night, and he turned to seek the source of the voice.

She was there, a silent form from the shadows, half her face illuminated by the glow of the moonlight, the other lost to darkness. The black cloak hanging off of her only added to the illusion of her emerging from nothing. A small trickle of blood oozed gently down the corner of her mouth, but she paid it no heed, a smirk playing on her lips instead as she looked him in the eye.

"It's been a while, Itachi-sensei." She greeted him, and though her greeting was curt, he could see the hidden mirth and happiness that shone in those emerald pools.

_All that happiness at the mere sight of him. _

But then, he watched as the mirth steadily vanished from her eyes, only to be replaced by anger, pain and confusion as she gazed at him.

"I know of your plan." She whispered. "I know of your plan and I beg you to forget about it. Just... please, find another way. If not for his sake… then for mine."

Itachi regarded her thoughtfully, wordlessly urging her to elaborate. She did, but not in the way he would've liked.

"Do not let Sasuke kill you." She pleaded quietely.

_Ah, so she knows…_

"It's out of the question, Sakura. I have to do it. You wouldn't understand." He replied.

Her confusion evaporated, and suddenly it was just pain and anger. "How do you know? Maybe I would! Do you not realise what you'll achieve by dying? You'll ruin not only Sasuke, but me too!" she yelled. "If you wish to keep your plan regardless of what I just said, then I might just as well go to Pein right now and inform him of our plan and my strength." She whispered the last part, tears shining in her eyes.

Itachi froze. "You cannot. If he finds out about your true strength he will send you away! He'll destroy you!"

"_Then let him destroy me!"_

Everything stopped for a moment. Itachi stood there, shocked and surprised, as he stared into the deep emerald pools that were currently glaring at him.

It was like staring at himself.

Emerald eyes blazed with fiery determination that bore down into his soul, ready to prove that she would bare this pain as a ninja, because she _is_ a ninja, and she had _always been_ a ninja.

They stood there for a long time, gazing at each other, before she gave in.

Sakura ran over to him and proceeded to hug him fiercely around the waist, burying her face in his chest.

"I apologize, Sakura. But that is my path and as much as I would like to, I can't turn away from it."

The rosette sighed. "That is fine, I understand now. Just please, whatever you do… don't leave me behind."

Itachi smiled as he buried his face in her sweet-smelling hair. "I promise."

* * *

><p><strong>There goes your ItaSaku, <strong>_**Toyroys**_** and **_**Niixxy**_**.**

**Hope you liked it!**

**Please let me know what you think in your REVIEW!**

**~Ja ne!**


	25. Confession

**Right! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and especially to The Ninja Artist and Casny97 (anonymous reviewer) for their incredibly long, and incredible awesome reviews!**

**As well as the rest of you people that reviewed :**

**Cheers to:**

**Toyroys  
>Black snake eyes<br>strawberry030  
>BlueSkyKite<br>Minato-kun Luver  
>AnimeLuver216<br>Sinisterblossom  
>Nixxy<strong>

**Thanks guys!**

**WARNING!**

**Bits of DeiSakuSaso ahead!  
>Also, major ItaSaku confession is coming your way! Prepare yourselves, and<strong>

**ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>After a while of standing in the field, they both went to their rooms. Sakura once again found herself unable to sleep as flashes of the last hour kept replaying themselves over and over in her head.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Sakura loosened her arms and released Itachi. She looked up at him, tears never to be shed glistening in her eyes. She was no fool. Keeping that promise would be impossible for him. <em>

_As if sensing her doubt, Itachi stared at her until she met his eyes. "I mean what I say, Sakura. I won't leave you."_

_The rosette dropped her head, stubbornly fighting the tears. A strangled sob escaped her lips. "How can you be so sure?" she whispered in despair._

"_I will find a way for us to stay together. You have my word."_

_The despair was suddenly replaced with anger. Her head snapped up, glaring. "How can you be so sure? Huh! You yourself said that Pein was planning to send me away! No matter how strong you are, you can't stop him Itachi!"_

_But the raven was no longer paying attention to her. He was looking at her eyes, a look of slight surprise and a trace of amusement could be seen in his deep onyx eyes. His hand rose and he gently stroked her temple. "The Rinnegan…" he whispered. "You've mastered it."_

"_Sometimes I'm not sure if this is all real or just a horrible nightmare…" Sakura whispered. "That blasted thing is the only way I can separate dreams from reality."_

_Itachi stared at the rosette before him. Unknowingly, she was becoming more and more like him; haunted by the nightmares of her actions, petrified by the path that stands before her._

"_Ano… Itachi?" she asked. "Before, you said something. I didn't quite understand it. You said Pein would destroy me by sending me away somewhere. But where do you think he would send me?"_

_Sakura was already suspicious of the answer, half dreading what was about to come out, half wishing that Itachi would finally take her seriously and tell her the truth._

"_I… don't know."_

_Anger once again swirled within the emerald pools. "Don't lie."_

_Itachi sighed. He'd made her a bit too perceptive, if that was even possible. The girl wasn't stupid._

But how I wish… Oh, how I wish that it didn't have to be like this…

"_If my assumptions are correct, he plans to destroy you in an ultimate betrayal…" he inhaled loudly before continuing, "By sending you to Orochimaru."_

* * *

><p>Sakura still found it hard to believe. Her father knew of her absolute loathing for the man, to stoop so low as to actually consider sending her to him…<p>

_Then again, I guess he kills two birds with one stone – he won't have to worry about me finding out about his plans, and he will get Orochimaru off his back…_

The rosette smiled grimly. It was a win-win situation for her father.

_I guess it's inevitable…_ Sakura thought. _Pein will send me away when he becomes even the slightest bit wary of my power. Then again, if I go, I will be able to keep regular tabs on Itachi's brother. I guess I'll have to show the extent of my power soon anyway. Luck_ _has never been on my side._

She sighed_. I wonder how Shika and Neji are doing_… _How are they handling the whole Sasuke's defection thingy. _Then something clicked_. Wait, thinking of Neji and Shika…_

The rosette jumped from her bed, and scurried over to her desk. Getting out a piece of paper and a quill, she quickly scribbled something down.

_Hm_… She observed, cocking her head to the side as she assessed the message written there. _It lacks a signature. Should I? It's a bit too much, isn't it? But then again, he seemed to like riddles…_

Sakura snatched up a pencil and set to putting the finishing touches to her ultimate betrayal. A small, but detailed sketch of a cherry blossom flower was the result of her struggles.

_Something's still off…_ She pondered. _Ah, yes._

Swiftly grabbing a kunai from the side, she sliced it across her palm, and watched, fascinated, as small scarlet droplets began gathering at the edges of the cut. She squeezed her palm shut and let a few drops of her blood drip onto the paper next to the cherry blossom.

_A bloody cherry-blossom_. She inwardly snorted_. How fitting._

But now came the hard part. Sakura run a quick chakra scan around the whole base, before she deemed it safe to proceed. Everyone seemed to be either asleep or nodding off, if their lightly sizzling chakras were anything to go by.

The rosette inhaled slowly, before she once again relied on the strong pull she felt inside herself. A second later, a black crow appeared before her, its' head tilted questioningly. Sakura smiled slightly before she sealed the scroll with a prick of her chakra from her non-bleeding finger and handed it to the bird. It hopped onto her wrist as she carried it over to the window. Wrestling the glass open, Sakura sighed.

"Get this to Shikamaru. I trust you. Now go." She instructed the bird.

The crow cawed quietly, before taking off.

Sakura left the window open, not bothering to close it, before she send a bit of healing chakra to her bleeding palm, and watched in sick satisfaction as the flesh mended itself back together.

It would take at least two days for the crow to get to Konoha.

_If my plan goes right, in two days' time, I will be far, far away from here. _

* * *

><p>The next morning, Sakura awoke to the feel of her mattress being weighted down and two bodies cuddling in on either side of her. Well, <em>one<em> body. The other just lay there peacefully. Instantly, without thinking, she pulled out the two kunai that she always had under her pillow and pointed the weapon at the intruders.

A deep chuckle snapped her out of the dream she'd had, and she whipped her head towards the sound.

"Glad to see you're on guard so early in the morning, doll." Sasori commented.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan! You almost gave me a heart attack!" another familiar voice exclaimed.

Sakura exhaled loudly. "Any particular reason as to why you two idiots are in my room?" she bit out.

"Woah, Saku-chan, are we not allowed to visit our favourite pinky? I'm hurt." Deidara whined.

"Not at ungodly o'clock, you're not." She stated dryly.

"We're all sparring today in the forest nearby. Everyone. Even Leader-sama is coming out to watch." Sasori explained.

"We came to make sure you'll come." Dei continued.

"I'll be there, don't worry."

Sasori nodded and rose, dragging a still-whining Deidara after him. Sakura sighed, but inwardly, she was grinning madly.

_Time to get this party rockin'._

* * *

><p>Sakura gasped as she managed to narrowly avoid Hidan's scythe hitting her side.<p>

_I can't afford to get hit. I need to make this through with enough chakra to use _**that**_ jutsu._

Instead of responding with a justu which required chakra, she attacked with a barrel of well-executed taijutsu moves.

Itachi watched from the sidelines, his gut-instinct and incredible observation skills warning him that something was about to go horribly wrong.

_But __**WHAT**__?_

He didn't know if it was the fact that Sakura hadn't used any chakra since the spar with Hidan started, or that the rosette kept stealing subtle glances at Pein and then rapidly turning away that had first alerted him that something was off.

Probably both.

In the meantime, Deidara had gotten bored of just sitting at the sidelines and watching all the action unfold, so he jumped down to join the fun, dragging Sasori after him.

* * *

><p>Sakura cursed as she realised that now she would not only have to watch out for a sharp pointy object being repeatedly shoved in her direction, but also for bombs and puppets with <em><strong>more<strong>_ sharp pointy objects.

_Well, __**shit**__._

But then an idea came into the rosette's mind. A wonderful, stupid, risky, but still absolutely _ingenious_ idea.

She smirked. _Use their distraction as a weakness and turn it to your advantage. _She told herself.

_Here it comes._

* * *

><p>Deidara aimed a C3 at the annoying Jashinist and threw. What he didn't consider was that Sakura might've had the same idea. He yelled out as the rosette jumped at Hidan, seemingly oblivious to the explosive that was slowly but surely coming her way.<p>

The blond cursed himself for making the bomb react on impact, then proceeded to franticly suck back the chakra from the flying clay creation.

_A little bit more…! Come on! Come on! Just a little and it'll nullif-! _

_**BOOM!**_

…_Too late. _The artist thought grimly.

Unknowingly to the blond, Sakura was well aware that she was in the way of a dangerous explosive. She scoffed. She jumped at Hidan in the last moment _because_ she wanted to get in the way.

Why else would she go through the trouble of using the **Hiding Mole** justu at the last moment?

She grinned manically from her place underground. _Now to spice things up_…

* * *

><p>Deidara ran to the place where the explosion took place, ignoring Hidan's tattered body in favour of looking for the rosette.<p>

Imagine his surprise when he found her standing, in one piece, mindlessly twirling a kunai around her finger.

Emerald eyes looked up at him in surprise. "Dei? What are you doing here? I thought we were meant to be sparring?"

Sakura inwardly snickered at the artist's confused look. _Go on, Dei. Say it._

"I-we-I… we thought- the explosion!" he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Are you alright?" he asked finally.

The rosette tilted her head to the side in fake confusion. "You came all this way to check is I'm alright?"

"Well- the explosion-"

"You didn't think I could avoid it?"

"Yeah! I mean, the blast was-"

"Are you calling me weak?" Sakura hissed. _3…2…1…_

"No! It's just that- well, you're weaker than Hidan since he's immo-"

But Sakura didn't let him finish. She took one glance towards the side-lines where everyone's eyes were directed at her and her eyes connected momentarily with Itachi's.

_No, __**don't**__-!_ the raven-haired male pleaded inwardly.

Her eyes hardened as they turned back to Deidara, her lips twisted in a sneer.

"_I am not __**WEAK**__!"_ she yelled. Sakura took a deep breath. "**Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!**"

An enormous wall of fire shot out of the rosette's mouth, lighting up anything in a close-by radius; trees, bushes; anything.

And through the flames, the smoke, the fear and the confusion; Sakura bolted.

* * *

><p>She didn't get far. After only about five minutes of running, a hand shot out of the trees and snatched her wrist, yanking her back into a firm chest.<p>

Slim hands grasped her shoulders, pushing her away from the body she'd crashed into.

Red eyes swirled with pain and confusion, but most importantly; anger. In a rare show of emotion Itachi yelled at her.

"What were you _thinking_? Do you know how absolutely _stupid_ you acted? I told you that Pein was planning to send you away if he became even _vaguely_ aware of your strength, and what do you do? You set half of the forest on fire using an S-rank technique which was bound to get Pein suspicious! But _**nooo**_, you also had to use the technique that _Madara_-fucking-_Uchiha_ used! DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?"

Sakura stared. And stared. And stared.

She ignored the fact that Itachi swore. She also ignored that this was the first time he had ever shouted at her.

She was captivated by the fury, the pure insanity, and the raw, almost visible pain that shone in those haunted crimson orbs.

The rosette didn't feel the pain of Itachi's fingernails as they dug into her shoulders, until he completely removed his hands from her person and turned his head away.

"I… It had to be done, Itachi." Sakura whispered.

"Don't be foolish." He responded dryly.

"Wha-" Sakura gasped, disbelieving. "I had faith in this idea, Itachi! I still do! And if having faith is considered foolish… Then let me be a fool!"

Itachi's head snapped back to look at her, but Sakura was far from finished.

"All my life you've been trying to keep me as far away from danger as possible. At the beginning I was grateful, since I hated the idea of having to kill. However, it only progressed from there. You lied to me, you pushed me away, you sheltered me-!"

"I sheltered you because _I love you_!"

Any further arguments died on Sakura's tongue. She was reduced to looking like a fish out of water, eyes wide, mouth opening and closing.

"Itachi, I-"

But the raven in question didn't give her any time to answer, as with one last, pain-filled glance, he dissolved into a flock of crows.

"…love you, too."

* * *

><p>It turned out that Itachi's disappearance couldn't have been any better timed. Not a minute later, Pein came out of the shadows, his face schooled into an emotionless mask.<p>

"Well, I knew Madara was right. She really is a nuisance." He murmured. To Sakura he said. "You might be my daughter, but since your return to Ame, your usefulness has dwindled. You've gotten soft in the Chuunin Exams. The opposite of how I wanted you to turn out. You've started to care, to enjoy, to _**love**_." He spat out the last word. "Love is a weakness. I thought I've drilled that into you long ago."

Sakura surveyed her father slowly. "So are you calling yourself weak then, father?" she asked, half sarcastically, half curiously.

"You foolish child," he bristled, though Sakura could almost see a glimpse of amusement in his eyes.  
>"I don't love you."<p>

That was all she heard before she was knocked out, and everything went black…

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's it! Next chapter will be a half-action, half-filler, considering that Sakura will meet a very special someone. *coughSasukecough* <strong>

**Also, I'm still open for pairings suggestions, so if you want your favourite pairing (as long as it's not Yuri, I don't want to scar my readers ***_**shivers**_*** ) and you would like it to be in my story, drop the suggestion in your REVIEW!**

**And if you have any other comments, also leave them in your REVIEW!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	26. Insanity Begins

**OK, I realize I might've confused some people, due to first making Pein the awesome-cuddly-comforting-daddy-dearest, then changing him into a cold-hearted bastard. Sorry for that ^_^ **

**Hope this chappie clears away some confusion!**

**Love xx**

**On another note, **

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!**

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* * *

><p>"<em>Itachi!" a bubble-gum haired girl called out. "Train me please!"<em>

"_Sorry, Pink, Itachi-san's busy with missions." Kisame replied gruffly._

"_Itachi!" the girl pouted. "Please?" she asked meekly._

_Itachi sighed. "We leave in three hours. I guess I could help you… A little." Itachi retorted, trying to ignore his partner's laughter and his call of 'The kid has you wrapped around her little finger, Itachi-san! Oh, that's just priceless!'. _

_He walked over to Sakura, inwardly marvelling at how similar this situation was to the one with his brother. He imagined Sasuke, and he noticed that the rosette child had the same stance about her – pout, outstretched arms, wide, begging eyes._

"_Yay! Thank you, 'Tachi-kun!"_

_The raven haired teen smiled slightly at the easily-pleased girl. This time, he swore to himself that he would protect her from the unfairness of the world. Just as he failed to protect his otouto._

* * *

><p><em>A timid knock sounded at his door, and he stood up, already knowing who stood on the other side.<em>

_Only one person in the entire hideout had small enough hands to knock so softly. But what would she be doing outside his room at three in the morning?_

_He opened the door and was greeted with the sight of messy pink hair and hazy emerald eyes. The girl still looked half asleep. _

"_Sakura? What's the matter?" he asked._

"_I-It's three in da mornin',right, 'Tachi-kun?" she slurred._

"_Yes." Itachi answered, still not seeing the significance of the time._

_A tired, yet content smile blossomed on the girl's sleepy features._

"_Happy birthday, Ita-kun." She mumbled, before thrusting her hands out. "I-I got you somet'ing. I know it's stupid, but still…" Sakura trailed off._

_Itachi's heart leapt. The act was innocent and childish, and reminded him so much of his otouto it hurt. But he still smiled, and picked up the small rosette girl. Her arms wrapped around his neck, the present still clutched tightly in her tiny hands. He took her into the room and eased her gently onto the bed. _

"_Don't you want to open da present?" Sakura slurred in her half-asleep state._

"_Hm." He murmured, before gently pulling at the wrapping paper. _

_Sakura watched with eagerness as he took out a square box and smiled at his widened eyes as he removed the lid._

_Itachi's heart missed a beat, then started again, double the speed. Inside, laid a small, ornate bracelet. From the thin leather string hung two detailed, clay beads. One was a tiny Uchiha fan, all in its' fan-shaped, red-and-white glory. Next to it was a miniature cherry blossom flower, and, Itachi noticed, the two meads were linked. Instead of pondering the reason as to why Sakura had given him a bracelet for his birthday, which, of all possible jewellery is probably the most impractical one, he just sat and stared at the gift, his throat clogged up with some unknown emotion and his eyes stinging._

_The raven-haired teen shifted his stare from the bracelet onto the girl's pleased, calm emerald eyes. She wore a small, tired smile on her face, but when she noticed his gaze her smile brightened even more._

_Wordlessly, Itachi stretched out his bare wrist, carefully handing her the bracelet. She took it in her little hands and wrapped it around his wrist. When the rosette was done, Itachi grasped her wrist and gently tugged her towards him._

_Pressing a soft kiss to Sakura's forehead, Itachi smiled._

"_Arigato… Sakura-chan."_

* * *

><p>Sakura shot up to her feet, her eyes snapping open. She was in a dark, cold room, and her back was stiff from lying on a hard surface. After her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, she was able to make out the wooden cot, small bowl with water and the bars.<p>

She was in a cell.

It was only then that the realization that she wasn't alone kicked in. The unmistakeable feeling of another chakra signature close by sent cold shivers down Sakura's spine. Her eyes flickered from side to side, trying to locate the sinister chakra.

Her eyes finally landed on a dark silhouette in the corner of the room. Emotionless Sharingan eyes connecting with her own.

_Uchiha Sasuke._

"Where the hell am I?" she snarled at the teen.

"Hn."

"Uchiha, I'm really not in the fucking mood for your monosyllable answers, so just answer the goddamn question before I lose my mind!" Sakura hissed.

"You can't lose something that's already lost." Sasuke replied, his own venomous tone slipping into the snide remark.

"Fuck!" she yelled as her fist connected with the closest wall, even without chakra leaving a fairly large dent. She ignored the feeling of her knuckles cracking against the hard surface, and instead concentrated on wiping the slimy substance from her bloodied hand.

Wait a sec… _Slimy_?

That was when the events of the previous hours caught up to her. _Hours?_ She questioned herself. _Fuck, I don't even know anymore._

"Orochimaru's hideout." The rosette spat with obvious distaste. "Pein, the damn bastard."

Then it came to her. "How long was I unconscious?" she asked.

"Tch. Annoying." His cold voice drawled. "Just over an hour. The snake hasn't come out of his room. He's too busy discussing '_politics'_ with Amegakure." Sasuke scoffed at the last sentence.

_Politics…?_ Sakura was stumped. There were no such things as politics in Amegakure. _Unless_…

Memories from her past flashed before her eyes; _Saviour of this World, Child of the Prophecy, God…__**Pain**__. _

Without further explanation, Sakura sprinted out of the room. Tearing along the corridors, she concentrated what little chakra she had left, scanning the base for that awfully familiar chakra signature.

_**There.**_

* * *

><p>Sakura stopped in front of a large wooden door, just as a figure closed the door behind him. Ringed purple eyes turned to glare in her direction. An overwhelming sadness swept over her. Pein… Father. The one person she used to associate with comfort and warmth. But that was over seven years ago. That Pein was long gone.<p>

Tears pooled in her eyes, but she held them back. No point crying now. She was well past crying.

"Why?" her voice cracked.

"Because I've never cared. You were weak as a child. You failed to get the doujutsu as my heir. You didn't have the Rinnegan. You _were_ weak, you _are_ weak, and you forever _will be_ weak. Fate of an individual does not change, you foolish child. You have never experienced true pain. You have never had someone close to you die. You know nothing about the world around you. You don't _care_, and therefore you don't deserve to be cared _for_."

His cruel words were finally getting to her. Sakura's knees wobbled, but she refused to give in – giving in would mean admitting defeat.

"So it was all an act. On my fifth birthday… You were lying, weren't you?"

Pein chuckled coldly. "Of course. I can't believe that it took you over five years to figure it out." He snorted.

Sakura thought back to the scene. Something wasn't right…

* * *

><p>"<em>Sakura… You're too young, I shouldn't be telling you about this yet, but I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already did. " Pein whispered. "I'm sorry that you have to go through all these complications. I'm sorry that you can't have a normal childhood. But… I will understand if you chose to leave. Having S-class criminals as parents is not the future I would have planned for myself either.<br>Konan and I… as well as the rest… we will understand if you decide to leave. I-if you choose freedom over us. After all, we are S-rank criminals… We will get over it. Eventually." His voice broke at the end. _

_Little Sakura stared at him with bewilderment. Then, small hands reached up and grasped his shoulders. "But Daddy, what are you so concerned about? That I will leave you? For what? Freedom?" She giggled slightly making her father gape at her curiously. "Wasn't it you who always told me that the only freedom shinobi will ever get, is the freedom of death? I am an Akatsuki, Father. And I follow the path that lies in front of me, never looking back."_

* * *

><p>"No, Father. You weren't lying then. You're lying now."<p>

As his glare on her intensified, she allowed herself a small smile. "You were genuinely concerned then. Atleast partly. I don't think you would've allowed me to just leave the organization… But back then, on my fifth birthday, you were a man who truly wanted peace. Now, you just don't care."

"You're deluding yourself. I've never cared for you, or for the organization. I want peace, but in order for the world to be in peace, there must still be sacrifices." Pein hissed.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "You're in denial. Something happened. I know it did. You were cold-hearted, but you were never cruel."

Suddenly a hand was at her throat, chocking the air out of her. "Don't attempt to read me, girl. You have no idea who I really am. How can you? After all, you've always lived in a secure environment, that Uchiha brat protecting you from the outside world." He noticed her wince at the name and smirked maliciously. "What happened? Did you finally realise that you won't be able to depend on him any longer? Foolish girl, you're on your own now."

"Tha-that's where y-you're wrong, Nagato." She felt his grip on her neck tighten at the sound of his own name. "E-Even a foolish child can grow up in a right way, when they learn what pain is. Knowing pain controls ones thoughts and decisions. I have been through more pain than you can imagine… F-Father."

She felt him release the grip on her neck, before she dropped to the floor in a heap.

"You have no ties anymore. You betrayed Konohagakure, Ame won't accept you, the Mizukage thinks you're dead. Shinobi with no ties are weak – they have no one to manipulate."

"But when the weak realize they're nothing but that – _weak_, _useless_, _pathetic_, it gives them a reason. It gives them a reason to fight; gives them determination to get stronger; motivation to keep going despite the pain. And in the end, it's the weaker ones who become the stronger, because the stronger ones take their power for granted. And the weaker ones watch in satisfaction as they flee like the cowards they are. You, Father, are exactly that." She knew that finishing the sentence could very well cost her life, but she was too far gone, too far past caring. "A _coward_."

Pein growled, but then turned around and started to walk off. "I don't expect you to survive this. You're dead in my book. That's what the Akatsuki will be told. Their _favorite little blossom_ died because she was too weak to protect herself." He smirked. "What a pathetic child."

Sakura sat there as Pein's footsteps faded away. Her nails scratched at the floor, the pain snapping her out of her daze.

_I will become stronger._

_I will become better._

_I will become the perfect shinobi._

"I will get my revenge."

Suddenly, a pale hand appeared in the rosette's vision. She looked up only to be met with twin onyx orbs, and an emotionless mask.

"Are you going to take my hand, or just sit here and stare at me all day?" the raven-haired teen spoke exasperatedly.

Sakura allowed the teen to help her to her feet. Once she was standing, she stared right into his eyes. "Why?"

"Because we're both avengers."

* * *

><p>A little bit after that, it dawned on Sakura that Sasuke might've actually followed her, and therefore overheard her conversation with Pein. Though, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she <em>didn't really care<em>. Even Sasuke asking random, embarrassing questions would've been better than the silence that surrounded them at the moment.

Sakura always enjoyed comfortable silences, or the _I-don't-know-what-else-to-say-so-I'm-not-saying-anything_ types, but this was too much. Sasuke's eyes were glued on her, assessing her, taking in her every move. He looked as if he was bursting with questions, but was too damn prideful to ask them.

All because of the stupid pedo-snake (a term Sakura liked to use when describing the snake Sannin) who decided that Sakura should share the room with Sasuke for her first week at the hideout, since it was unknown if she would run.

And at her angry snarl of: _But where the hell would I go to?_

Came his reply - _I_ _prefer not to take any_ _chances_ (insert creepy grin and irritating yellow eyes. Oh, and purple eyeliner.)

So now, the two avengers were reduced to sitting in the same dark, cold, absolutely boring room, trying to see whose glare could burn a metaphorical black hole into the other's head first.

How very fucking entertaining.

Finally, Sakura couldn't stand it anymore. Her previous encounter with her No. 1 annoyance – A.K.A Pein, her oh-so-awesome-and-badass Father, left her feeling a bit eccentric.

Or atleast, eccentric enough to act on her preferred rule of _Act now, Worry later_.

"Okay, that's **IT**, Uchiha! Stop glaring at me as if I've killed your goddamn cat! If you have any questions, ask! As long as they're not about Itachi, I'm willing to cooperate!"

She saw his gaze drop at Itachi's name. "Itachi is a no-go zone. I might be limited to staying here in this annoying room with the most anti-social, homicidal person in Otogakure, but I'm still loyal to Itachi. So, sorry cupcake, but take a number – no questions about your older brother."

His eyes snapped to her, the onyx pools swirling with a mixture of disbelief and a faint trace of amusement.

"You really have no sense of self-preservation, do you?"

Sakura snorted. "Sorry, I didn't realize you preferred an overly-emotional PMSing chick as your company for the next week." At his raised eyebrow, she smirked. "See, with me it can go in two ways – either a hysterical, PMSing, all-round bitchy temperamental _**thing**_, or a suicidal, cynical and absolutely _Fuck the rules, come with me _type. Depends which mood I'm in."

Sasuke looked like he was doing his best not to gape and/or laugh his head off. He snorted. "Not only without self-preservation, but also insane. Just my damn luck." He groaned.

Then, as if realizing something else, he sat up. "So, what does Akatsuki actually do?"

"Depends." Sakura answered with a crooked grin. "Tell me, chibi-Uchiha, how much do you know about Bijuu?"

And that's how the most incredible, yet bizarre (and slightly insane) companionship begun between the two most unlikely people.

_After all,_ Sakura thought, _if we're both going to die while trying to achieve the impossible goal set before us, we might as well have some fun while we're at it, right?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>All done! Thank you for the support, and I hope it continues!<strong>_

_**I realize that I made Sasuke a tad OOC but I honestly don't like his pissy I'm-better-than-everyone-else-hail-me attitude in the anime and manga, so I decided to twist it slightly. I also dislike Pein. **_

_**..**_

_**Okay, I agree, it's hard to dislike something so hott. -_-**_

_**.**_

_**But now, I have a question!**_

_**I predict this story to be about 40 chapters long, so the thing is,**_

_**SHOULD I MAKE A SEQUENCE TO THIS STORY, WHICH WOULD HAVE APPROIMATELY 15 CHAPTERS, OR CONTINUE THIS AND HOPE FOR THE BEST?**_

_**Give me your answer in your REVIEW!**_

_**Love y'all~**_

_**Invincible Shadow!**_


	27. I Lost the Battle, Not the War

**Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! I've decided to… CONTINUE GOING!**

**Apologies to those who voted for a sequel, but I realised that I'm simply. Not. Bothered. To start a new story. Now, once again, I KNOW there is some confusion, but honestly, just BARE WITH ME PLEASE ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ARE GOING TO BE ANSWERED! Soon.**

**Now, feel free to just skip to the story – I'm just going to speak to one of my awesome reviewers here, as unfortunately, she's anonymous.**

**The Ninja Artist: Woah. You sure have a lot of questions. And, surprisingly enough, I have the answers! However, I'm afraid that you're going to have to wait another one or two chapters for the answers to gradually reveal themselves as I'm not a fan of spoilers. Hope you don't mind, and if you do, then I plan to compensate for the disappointment with this extra-long (at least in my opinion) chappie! Hope you like it!**

ENJOY!

* * *

><p>Sasuke glanced around as he inhaled the clean air. Their weekly confinement had ended earlier today, and they both decided to go out and enjoy the few hours of relative freedom they were allowed to have.<p>

Plus, he was sick and tired of the tasteless, sticky, white _**goo**_ which the SPM (_Snake's Personal Manslut_, as Sasuke tended to refer to him as) called a rice ball. He scoffed. Seriously, even _Naruto_ could make better food, and Kami only knew that the blonde lived on ramen because it was the only _decent_ food he could make.

_Naruto_…

Sasuke felt a stab of something at the thought of the hyperactive blonde. _Pain? Regret? Senti- _**NO**_._ he scolded himself. Emotions and memories would only take him further away from his goal. He _needed_ to kill Itachi. He didn't _need_ Naruto.

Snapping out of his thoughts, the raven-haired teen assessed the situation. He saw the peculiar rosette half-sitting, half-lying on the large flat boulder a few meters in front of him. He shifted his leg slightly, adjusting his position against the tree.

It was surprisingly warm for early September, much warmer than he remembered it being in Konoha. The sun shone brightly overhead, basking the forest by which they were surrounded in its eternal glow.

He furrowed his brows as his stomach demanded food. Real food. Not the crappy rice balls or solider pills which the rosette had offered to him, since, apparently, his stomach wouldn't '_shut the fuck up'. _It was quite amusing, really, how she'd transformed from the pissy, chaotic, yet manipulative girl he'd seen at the Chuunin exams, to this sarcastic, cynical, yet somehow colder girl he knew now.

He remembered her breakdown after the verbal beating her father gave her. Surprisingly, the second day she was acting as if nothing had happened. He was getting curious, and a curious Uchiha is a frustrated Uchiha. So, during the fourth day of their confinement, he finally lost the mental battle with his curiosity and asked her why, _how_ could she be this relaxed. Sasuke recalled the maniac smirk which pulled at her lips. _'I lost the battle_-' he remembered her say. _'Not the war.'  
><em>That was only one of the many things which made the pinkette so interesting.

Abandoning his thoughts once again, the Uchiha saw Sakura getting up from her perch on the rock.

He raised an eyebrow. "Hn?" _Where the hell are you going?_

Sakura turned to look at the Sharingan wielder and scowled. "Fuck this I'm going to look for some food." She muttered darkly, before she stomped off.

Sasuke watched her absently, and noticed her crouching before some bushes she walked by. Though partly obscured by trees, he could still easily spot her – her pink hair and burgundy cloak contrasted with the greens and browns of the forest.

She returned a few minutes later, her hands filled with purple and red fruit.

_Berries_. Sasuke realized. How the hell did she find berries in the middle of September?

He inwardly shrugged, and straightened from his position against the tree. Taking one hand out of his pockets, he strolled over to the boulder the rosette was perched on, one hand stretched out, reaching for the berries… Just a little closer-

"Nuh-uh-uh, Uchiha. Go get your own goddamn berries. These are mine." She growled, her small hand slapping away his.

He glared.

She smirked.

He glared some more.

Her smirk widened.

He glared **Deadly Flames O' Doom – Uchiha Style** at the insolent girl.

She burst out laughing.

"O-Oh _Kami_! You looked like a kid throwing a tantrum! That was bloody priceless!" she snickered.

In less than a second, he had a kunai against her throat. His crimson eyes flashed. "_Berries_. _Now_." He growled.

Her grin was replaced by a nasty scowl. "Go get your own, you lazy bastard." She hissed.

Sasuke pressed the kunai tighter against her neck; a few drops of blood began forming on the cut.

Sakura's smirk returned, though fainter now, as she popped a few berries into her mouth and chewed. Her eyes fluttered closed in satisfaction. Sasuke lost it; he tackled her to the ground, pinning the sleeve of her cloak with the kunai. He jumped away as she aimed a chakra-laden kick to his abdomen. The rosette sat up, and ripped the kunai from her sleeve, then proceeded to fling the knife at the smirking Uchiha.

He dodged, which gave Sakura enough time to get on her feet and into a defensive stance, the berries long forgotten.

_I hadn't been able to get a proper spar since that fight with Hidan… I've gotten rusty._ She thought as she popped her spine.

Sakura faced Sasuke, a grin on her face, as this time she wasn't out for blood – she was out for practise.

Then, almost instantaneously, their hands began forming seals.

"**Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"**

"**Water Release: Great Water Dragon Technique!"**

The two jutsus collided, both destroying the other, creating an enormous explosion of steam. But neither of them was quite finished yet. Sakura gathered her monstrous chakra into her fists, while Sasuke unsheathed Kusanagi. They stood silently, seizing each other out, before they both, as if at some unspoken signal, rushed forward.

Sakura's fist connected with the Earth a few inches from where Sasuke stood, causing the raven to leap into the air to avoid the miniature earthquake. He came down and brought his sword in a graceful arc at the rosette's head, making her jump to the left in order to dodge having her head sliced off.

_It's not working…_

Sakura sighed and called off her chakra. She in turn reached for her own katana, bringing it out in one swift move. The metal gleamed dangerously, and Sasuke only just managed to stop himself from drooling.

Her sword. It gleamed beautifully in the sunlight, the clearly polished silver blade reflecting the light like a mirror. In other words, it was lovely, it was beautiful, it was dangerous - it was a shiny metal deathtrap.

Shiny.

Metal.

And a deathtrap.

AND WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND DOESN'T LIKE SHINY METAL DEATHTRAPS?

Seriously.

Sasuke shook his head.

The sword might've been incredible, but now came the time to test the rosette's skill with handling the blade. The teen smirked.

_This was about to get __**very**__ interesting._

* * *

><p>During their spar (if you could even call it that considering the destruction level) neither of the teens noticed that they had gained an audience.<p>

The two men stood off to the side, eyes trained on the incredible pair. The silver-haired man's eyes widened behind round glasses, his jaw hanging open. The other man just surveyed the area; the destruction; the impossibly mutilated forest.

He grinned with sick satisfaction. He had definitely made the best choice – the two teens in front of him weren't shinobi. They weren't even people.

They were human weapons, and the key to the world's ultimate destruction.

* * *

><p>After an hour of fighting, Sakura and Sasuke had stopped. There was really no point – their kunai and shuriken lay scattered around, trees and bushes mangled beyond recognition. Plus, they were both relatively low on chakra. Regardless of that, they were still glaring at each other, their conflict by no means finished. Sasuke got ready to pounce on the rosette again, but a creepy, humourless chuckle stopped them both short.<p>

Two heads whipped to face the source of the sound, eyes widening when they realised that all this time they'd had an audience. And not the most pleasant audience.

Sasuke almost growled when he noticed the SPM and scowled when he noticed the sickly amused look behind the round glasses.

_Hn. Stupid four-eyes._

Sakura's attention, on the other hand, was focused on the taller, raven-haired male. The pinkette full-out scowled.

_Hey! That's copyright! The 'I-just-raped-a-little-girl-yay-me' look belongs to Hidan and Hidan __**only**__!_

"Well, this isn't the typical boy-meets-girl interaction, isss it?"

That single sarcastic remark sent them both careening back into reality and away from their angsty thoughts.

"I've never seen a pair not even full-fledged ninja bring so much destruction…" a hiss and the look of sadistic glee that shone in the Sannin's yellow eyes made them finally look around.

What they saw was shocking.

"I… I suppose we got a little… carried away." Sakura choked out. Sasuke nodded mutely as a response.

What had once been a beautiful forest was now barer than a desert. Stretching further than her trained eye could see – approximately two/three miles in diameter – the trees were absolutely _obliterated_ into practically _non_-_existent_ _smithereens;_ there were large craters which were created mostly by Sakura's punches or Sasuke's chidori and the few trees were still left standing were so mutilated they could not be called trees anymore:

Most of them had suffered the symptoms of being ultimately burned to a crisp by their Fire Release techniques. One of the others had a clean cut through the trunk, separating the top from the roots which was kindly done by Sakura's chakra scalpel. And finally, the last one looked like a wrinkled old lady… Only that it was a tree… Which Sakura had oh-so-conveniently sucked the water out of with her chakra when she realised that there weren't any lakes/rivers/ponds/water facilities anywhere nearby.

And now, as they looked to and fro from the trees then back to Orochimaru, Sakura couldn't supress the cold and clearly visible shiver that ran down her spine, as well as the tell-tale feeling that something bad was about to happen.

That feeling only increased when the snake Sannin stretched out his hand, the sadistic glee once again appearing in his yellow eyes. "I've decided to assign you as partners."

… _I hate being right -_-_

Sasuke was forced to take the scroll, since Sakura felt like her whole body was frozen in one place. She was going to be partners for god-knows-how-long with the younger brother of a person whom she cherished the most, and, if that wasn't enough, said younger brother was planning to kill the older brother – A.K.A _Itachi_ – A.K.A _Sakura's most cherished person_.

_Shit._

As Sasuke unrolled the scroll, Sakura dared herself to look over the raven's shoulder.

_**Assassination, Assassination, Bounty Hunting, Assassination, Bounty Hunting, Guard a Princess, Assassination, Retrieve a Forbidden Scroll, Assassination, Assassination, Assassination…**_

And the list went on.

Sakura's stomach churned.

_Double shit._

* * *

><p>A certain pineapple-haired chuunin was walking among the streets of Konohagakure, two pieces of paper clutched tightly in his hands. He was frustrated, and it was common knowledge that he practically <strong>never<strong> got frustrated. No, he always took things slowly, taking them apart then leisurely piecing them back together, making sense of a puzzle everyone else had neither the brains, nor the patience to solve.

But now, he, Shikamaru Nara, genius-extraordinaire, found himself stumped.

By a riddle.

A riddle, of all things! He received it a few days after _**her**_ disappearance, and while he had no doubts about whom it was _from_, he had absolutely no idea what the riddle meant.

He assessed the other piece of paper, and quietly snorted. _Nope_, he thought, _no help from that either._

He had been made Konoha's strategist, since he was too lazy to ask for missions, or even bother with appearing before the mission's deadline, the Godaime decided that it would be better to just let him stay in the village, and instead dump on his the sort of work which he would be '_comfortable'_ with. That statement earned a consecutive snort from the lazy genius. He wouldn't be '_comfortable'_ with any work. The only job he would be relatively '_comfortable'_ with would be cloud-watching or playing shogi.

So as he sat down, back propped against a tree, both pieces of paper in front of his as he tried to make sense of the message, he lost himself in the thoughts of _**her**_.

_Why… Why did she leave? Why so suddenly? I know now that she's an Akatsuki, but something must've happened between her and Tsunade-sama that made her leave so abruptly… _

A lot of questions… Even less answers…

_Sakura… What happened to you?_

"Nara!"

The call of his name jolted him out of his thoughts, and as he turned his head to look at the person who dared to interrupt his musings, he was surprised to see long brown hair that was pulled into a low ponytail and pearl-coloured eyes.

_Hyuuga…? What on earth could he want?_

Then as he took in the teens suddenly slightly-less-than-perfect appearance and lightly laboured breathing, he deduced the Hyuuga had just finished training.

_But what would he want with me?_

"What, Hyuuga?" obviously he was annoyed at being interrupted, so he didn't really care that he was being rude.

Shikamaru saw Neji's eye twitch at his display of snobbish ignorance, but he couldn't care less.

"You have been staring at the paper so intently I was mildly surprised it didn't burst to flames. Anything bothering you, Nara-_san_?"

The –_san_ at the end made Shikamaru grind his teeth together angrily. The proud bastard _**knew**_ he was frustrated, and yet he mocked him!

"Yes, as a matter of fact, Hyuuga-_sama_." The over-exaggerated formality made Shikamaru feel a tad better. "Since you knew Sakura, you might as well help me with this." And as Shikamaru thrust one of the papers at the prideful teen, he couldn't help but notice that Neji's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the rosette's name.

Neji assessed the paper similarly to how Shikamaru had before. A frown pulled at his brow as he turned to face the Nara. "What is this?"

"It's a riddle," Shikamaru stated, taking the paper back from him. "Apparently she likes talking in riddles – her previous message has been even less help than this."

The Hyuuga's frown deepened. "Previous message?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you got it too. You know, the one written on those scrolls? I got one, Hinata got one, the white-haired Sannin that left with Naruto as well… Giving you the last one would have been the most logical option."

A small smirk tugged at Neji's lips. "You mean this one?" in one swift move he retracted a red-rimmed scroll from his kunai pouch. Though no fingerprints could be seen, Shikamaru was almost sure the teen had opened and closed the scroll at least a dozen times.

A similar smirk pulled at his own lips. "Yeah. That one." Then, the smirk was once again replaced by a frown. "But I still don't understand it. Why would she speak in riddles? And if the message is so important for her to speak in riddles, why send it to _me_?"

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Suddenly, "You're a strategist, aren't you, Nara?"

Shikamaru nodded.

Neji smirked that tiny, irritating smirk again. "Figure it out."

:::

"Oh."

That was the only thing that alerted Neji that the Nara prodigy had figured it out. He checked his watch. Just under two minutes. Not bad.

"She wanted only me to have it."

"Hn. That's correct."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru sighed. "Now for the harder part – What did she mean?"

When all he received was silence, he sighed again. "What a drag… I know this is only going to inflate your ego even more, Hyuuga, but _I could use some help here_." Shikamaru said exasperatedly.

The smirk returned to Neji's face, a slight tilt to his head proving that he was amused. The lazy teen sighed for the thousandth time.

"Sorry, princess, but if you're done contemplating your ego, I'm waiting here."

Neji glared. He snatched the paper from Shikamaru and rewrote the message.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was a waste of effort."

"Shut up and listen." The Hyuuga growled. "You know who she is; you know roughly what she does, you know why she does it, but think Shikamaru, _what don't you know?"_

The lazy genius didn't know what was more surprising at this moment.

That Neji used his first name

That he was actually willing to help him figure it out.

Or, the fact that he was, in fact, making sense.

Probably all three.

"So what you're suggesting is that she wrote her current location in this riddle?"

"Hn."

"That seems… plausible."

"Good. Now, look here." Neji pointed to the message. "Read it out loud."

_You will find me with the __**snakes**__._

_**-Sakura**_

"Now, Nara, where do you think is the location? Underline it here." Neji pointed to the second line, the one he wrote.

Shikamaru thought for a while, then came to the same shocking conclusion as Neji, the moment his pencil touched the paper.

_You will find me __with the __**snakes**_

_**-Sakura**_

"But there's something else. Look at the emphasis on '_**snakes'**_. It's like she purposefully put it there…"

"Yes, I noticed it too…"

They both stared at the paper, willing it to just reveal its' secret. Nothing happened.

"Ugh!" Shikamaru exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice. "Damn this! She's almost as cunning as that bastard Orochimaru!"

Neji's eyes snapped to him, Shikamaru's own widening in realisation of what he'd just said.

"Orochimaru…" they breathed in unison. "Of course…"

:::

They've decided not to tell Tsunade until they were absolutely positive. She could grow suspicious.

Now, as Shikamaru was getting ready to leave, Neji already a few feet away, a question he'd been meaning to ask since the beginning resurfaced.

"Hey, Neji!" he called to the Hyuuga's retreating back. When the genius stopped and turned to face him, giving him a few seconds to catch up to him, Shikamaru spoke. "Why did you help me?"

A real, albeit small, smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. He once again took out the red-rimmed scroll, and opened it. Though this time Shikamaru was able to clearly see the message, and the neat, slanted cursive of the P.S note.

The familiar line echoed around his mind, a small smirk of understanding teasing at his lip. He took out his own scroll, the delicate parchment on his calloused fingers bringing back the electrifying twinge in his fingers.

He unrolled the scroll, and noticed the Hyuuga's smile widen as the same line stared back at him.

The older teen chuckled, and faced the Nara prodigy. "Because, Shikamaru," he spoke, his voice calm, with the slightest undertone of amusement.

"According to our mutual friend, whose location is currently unknown,"

Shikamaru grinned, catching on.

"_Genii need to stick together"._

* * *

><p>It has been a week since the mission scroll had been assigned to them, the total of a hundred and twenty-six missions to be completed by the end of the month.<p>

_126…! He's even more sadistic than Mei-sama!_

Sakura went over the events that took place a month ago.

_Her eavesdropping on her father's conversation with the unknown man, the argument with Itachi… The confrontation in the forest… Then in the hall of Orochimaru's hideout… The frustrating yet hilarious fights she has had with Sasuke…_

Everything jumbled up in her head, creating an incoherent mess of memories, thoughts and emotions.

_This is really frustrating…!_ She thought. Sakura had felt something strike her as wrong. Something didn't quite add up. It didn't make any sense in her over-stressed and under-rested mind.

_There's something… Like a link, a connection between these conversations… The one I eavesdropped on, the one with Itachi and the one in the forest… But goddamit! What is it?_

She thought back to the three events.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_So, the girl had returned__." A deep voice said._

_"__Yes, I sensed her chakra when she entered the village__." Father replied._

_"__She is still oblivious as to what you're really aiming for. But remember__, __Pein__," the unknown man paused, __"If she becomes even the slightest, tiniest obstacle in my plan, I will dispose of her. And you'll let me."_

_I stood in silence, my heart hammering so hard I was afraid it would burst out of my chest._

_"__Yes. I'll let you… Madara-sama…"_

* * *

><p><em>"What were you <em>thinking_? Do you know how absolutely _stupid_ you acted? I told you that Pein was planning to send you away if he became even __vaguely__ aware of your strength, and what do you do? You set half of the forest on fire using an S-rank technique which was bound to get Pein suspicious! But __**nooo**__, you also had to use the technique that _Madara_-fucking-_Uchiha_ used! DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?"_

Sakura flinched as she remembered Itachi's harsh tone as he reprimanded her. Then, she thought of the last one.

"_Well, I knew Madara was right. She really is a nuisance." He murmured_

* * *

><p><em>There's something… a name… a location… no, it has to be a name… Madara…Madara? Madara! That's it!<em>

But then Sakura blanched as the real meaning behind her discovery sunk in. She shook her head.

_No.. That's impossible. Madara Uchiha is dead. He lost the battle with Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage. So whoever my father was talking with… _

_**Was an impostor.**_

"Oi, Sakura! I could use a bit of help here!" the irritated shout snapped her out of her musings.

That's when she noticed her surroundings.

She was on a battle-field.

Daydreaming.

Off-guard.

Alone.

With Sasuke facing off against two high-level Mist Ninja.

Also alone.

_Shit._

"Sakura, dammit! Get your ass over here or I'll chidori it all the way to Suna!" Sasuke's pissed off yell finally made her go back to action.

Chakra gathering almost automatically in her fist, she ran over to the sword-wielding ninja and smashed his skull in, watching in sick fascination as Sasuke kicked the one pinning him down hard in the stomach, then piercing his throat with a well-aimed kunai.

Sakura stuck out her hand for Sasuke to take, but didn't expect him to grab it then yank it down so she fell ungracefully on her butt next to him, splattering mud on both of them.

That's when she noticed the blood that was trickling down Sasuke's arm in a fairly large and insistent stream.

"Oh! Sasuke! You're bleeding, you dipshit!" she yelled hysterically. Because, honestly, Sasuke _**never**_ got hurt. Nuh-uh.

"No shit, Sherlock!"

Sakura froze.

Then, a shit-eating grin spread across her face. "I'm impressed, Sauce-cake. You're starting to behave like a normal teenage boy! Who knows, maybe in a few years we'll be able to completely remove that pole from your ass!"

"Tch. Don't get your hopes up." Sasuke scoffed. "And don't smile like that. It makes you look constipated."

The grin immediately disappeared.

"**DAMMIT UCHIHA!"**

* * *

><p><strong>AAAAAAAAAND… *drum roll* DONE!<strong>

**I'm quite pleased with this chapter, though it could've been a tad better.**

**Hope you liked it, and REVIEW!**

**I'm still taking pairings, so vote up!**

_**Also, as a side-note, 'Genii' is the plural term for 'Genius'. I could have also used 'Geniuses' but 'Genii' is the formal plural. And since Neji and Shikamaru are both genius boys, and they were in the scene together, the correct term for them is 'Genii'. **_

**Grammar lesson over.**

***To clear some confusion***

**If you all remember (and if you don't, check chapter 25) Saku-chan sent a message to our favourite lazy-ass genius the day before she was taken to Orochimaru's base. I didn't reveal the message then as I wanted to include a bit of Neji-Shikamaru bonding time since I have a plan in mind for those two and our dear rosette that's going to come a bit later. **

**Also, YES, Sakura is looking for allies, but she is also protective, which basically means that when someone threatens those close to her, she's not above kicking their ass 6 feet under. As you're about to see in the next few chapters**

**And finally, YES, SHE DOES HAVE MOOD-SWINGS AND PMS's LIKE EVERY OTHER TEENAGE GIRL. GET OVER IT.**

…

**AHEM. **

**Now, my fuzzy-friends, REVIEW PLEASE!**

***nudge nudge* **

***whispers***

_REVIEW! *wink* You know you want to! ;)_

**Buh-Bye!**


	28. Bells of the Dead

**Sorry! I know I haven't updated in a while, but I was suffering a severe case of writer's block and review withdrawal. Plus, I've got a ton of homework. Meh. High school is shit.**

**ANYWAY! This chapter might seem like a filler chapter to those of you who can't pick out the subtle clues that this is anything BUT a filler chapter, so;**

**THIS ISNT A FILLER CHAPPIE GUYS! **

**Right. Now that that's done, I would like to thank the 9 people that had bothered to review the last chapter. Thank you ^_^ Can I get more for this one? **

_**DontWaitUpForMe**_**: Thank you for the awesome praise! You have officially earned yourself a virtual cookie!**

_**TheNinjaArtist**_**: Hope you can get your mom to agree soon! It would be cool if you had an account!**

**Now then…**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>… <em><strong>:: … 2 Years Later … :: …<strong>_

Sakura sighed. Things have been getting far too troublesome as of recently. Their plan to eliminate Orochimaru was just around the corner. While the rosette was glad that they would finally be rid of the creepy snake bastard, there was also dread constantly pooling in the pit of her stomach. _What if something goes wrong? What would happen if Sasuke won't manage to overpower Orochimaru? What if I strike too late?_

Those were the questions that were constantly swimming within Sakura's mind. She hated herself for it. Being unable to answer annoyed her more than the entire reason as to why they were going through all the trouble to kill the snake.

Something twitched within her.

The only reason… The only real reason as to why they were planning to run away. _So Sasuke can track and kill Itachi without any interruptions. _

Sakura hated this. Hated living in constant fear. She hated the urge to look over her shoulder everywhere she went.  
>The dark shadows under her eyes spoke of many sleepless nights spent wondering, thinking, sometimes even training under the pale glare of the moon.<p>

But there was something else that unsettled the rosette. The seed of doubt that had been planted in her stomach, and no matter what she did, she couldn't get rid of it. When she first arrived at the hideout, the knowledge of the full extent of Itachi's plans fresh in her mind, she had no doubt that if a confrontation was to take place, he would win. His incredible, cunning mind; the ability to think on his feet; the impressive chakra capacity – it all spoke volumes about what kind of ninja Itachi Uchiha was. In her mind, he was invincible. In her mind, Sasuke was a mere shadow, no threat at all.

However that was before she had started training with Sasuke . At the beginning, the young raven had shown great potential, but while he had _potential_, Itachi had _**talent**_. Only now did she realise, that the potential Sasuke had presented was far greater than she had originally thought.

Although he lacked Itachi's stealth or chakra capacity, Sasuke had incredible stamina. He was also more of a hands-on learner, something that allowed him to re-think his attack, while still fighting. Itachi always had a plan. If one manoeuvre went wrong, he would use the momentum to change into a new one and continue fighting. His methodical way of thinking was admirable, but in a battle, Sasuke's act-now-think-later was more effective.

Plus, Sasuke didn't have a deadly disease that was slowly but surely eating out his lungs from the inside.

Sakura had witnessed Itachi's attack only once, but it was enough to make her aware of how much Itachi really had to fight, just to survive another day. And now, when the battle between the two brothers seemed inevitable…

_Sasuke might actually win without Itachi's help._

Ever since that fateful night after the chuunin exams, when she was reunited with the elder Uchiha and was first made aware of his plans, Sakura was aware that Itachi planned to die, regardless if Sasuke succeeded in killing him or not. She could even imagine Itachi discreetly taking Sasuke's kunai and stabbing it in his own stomach, or completely cutting off his chakra flow half-way through the battle. But she had a plan for that. Sakura had planned to follow the younger Uchiha to the battlefield, then step in when Sasuke was about to attack, or it looked like Itachi had given up. She would use a doppelganger, take Itachi, run away, everyone would be happy and Itachi would be alive.

But now… knowing that Sasuke might even be on the same level as Itachi… the seed of doubt grew with every day, every time they sparred.

_It is possible that I will be too late…_

The rosette didn't want to guess, didn't dare to hope. She would take the cards she'd be dealt with and hope for the best. After all, she still had a mission to accomplish.

_The mission…_

The Sage of Six Paths had disappeared shortly after she arrived to Oto. At first Sakura was grateful, but now she found herself wishing more and more to hear his stern voice in her mind again. She desperately needed someone to talk to, someone that wasn't Sasuke. Jiraya-sama was also out of the question. Itachi was his best spy, with him being able to effortlessly gain info on the Akatsuki. If Sakura told him Itachi was planning to die, the old man would to his damnest to keep him alive.

_Dammit! _

She needed the Sage more than she let on. Hearing him again would confirm the fact that she really and truly had to kill Pein, and that it wasn't simply her imagination, making up a scenario in revenge for the years and years of neglect and critique that came from him. Regardless of the fact that it would destroy her sanity – after all, hearing voices in your head wasn't exactly normal – Sakura needed the confirmation.

_Please… Just once…_

**Don't beg. It's unbecoming.**

* * *

><p>Sakura jolted awake. Her heart was beating like crazy, with cold sweat running down her back. For a moment she felt too disorientated to even move, let alone think about where the hell she was.<p>

The cool, rough surface underneath her, the unmistakable sunlight hitting her pale skin, _Wait a second-!_

"Well done. An entire forty-two minutes of sleep. Must be your new record." A voice to her right drawled lazily.

The rosette snapped her head to the side, only to see Sasuke leaning against a tree, mindlessly twirling a kunai around his finger. Kusanagi lay on the ground next to his foot, the deadly blade gleaming in the sunlight.

"What the…?" Sakura trailed off.

"We went out to train, remember? When I started warming up," he pointed to the pulverized state of the trees behind him, "You just walked off and sat on this boulder, since the oh-so-great Sakura doesn't need a warm up." Sasuke finished, smirking at her.

"You should've woken me up." Sakura scowled. "I don't like to keep people waiting. Sorr-"

"Are you kidding?" Sasuke cut her off, any trace of playfulness he had gone. "This was the most sleep you've gotten in the last two weeks, Sakura! Do you think I don't notice the bags under your eyes? Or the fact that you're barely alive when we go on missions?" at her perplexed gaze, Sasuke sighed. "You're a human too, Sakura. Not a machine."

Sakura froze, her emerald eyes wide. "Hu…man?" she asked quietly. Sasuke's eyes were trained on her thumb, as it made its way to her mouth, her teeth clamping on the unfortunate nail. A habit – he noticed – that Sakura picked up when she was thinking. At first it disgusted him – how can anyone do that, with all the blood and dirt and other bacteria? – but then he noticed that somehow, Sakura's hands always stayed impeccably clean. Now he just treated it as something the rosette did. Normal. Nothing to question her about. Just another one of her many quirks.

Her reactions were something he'd come to treasure – after the snake's nasty comments and jibes at her persona, then the multiple words of criticism of _'if she kept flaunting her emotions like that she would die quicker than she could say 'It's not fair''_, the rosette had become sheltered, guarded. The most that could be seen would be a small quirk to her lips, or lift of the eyebrow if something amused her, or a tiny, almost unnoticeable widening of her eyes if one of their opponents turned out to be more challenging than they seemed.

So, seeing her like that, eyes glassy, unfocused; her teeth nibbling on her thumbnail, a small frown etched on her face – it all reminded him of the first few months after he'd met her. Even the pissy, PMSing sadistic girl would've been better than this – an emotionless insomniac.

"Human…" Sakura whispered. A small smile blossomed on her face as she raised her eyes to meet his. "I guess I am."

* * *

><p>Somehow, Sakura didn't know how, but that one comment had managed to awaken something that she'd been repressing for a long time.<p>

Emotions.

And she was glad, oh, so glad that Sasuke had said that. She'd been hiding in her shell for far too long, worrying and planning. Now, as they stood side-by-side, facing the snake-bastard, Sakura didn't flinch under his gaze or try to shut him out. She stared him down, eyes serious, but that seriousness was overlooked because of the mischievous smirk on her face.

"Well, well, Sasuke-kun. It seems like your ex-teammates are tracking down someone I know. It would be pitiful if they got there before you… and Sakura-chan of course." His eyes gleamed. With a flourish Sakura didn't know he possessed, Orochimaru unrolled the scroll in front of them.

"It seems as if my ex-partner and my replacement have been ordered to hunt down the One-Tailed Jinchuuriki of Sunagakure. However it seems as though the Godaime has issued a special retrieval team. There's the Hokage's apprentice," the sannin turned to Sakura, "with very… similar skills. And there's also Copy-Ninja Kakashi, the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki, and some other unimportant brats. The problem is, my dears," Sakura felt Sasuke shiver next to her, repulsed with the pet name. She herself barely repressed a shudder of disgust. "The problem is the elder that is tagging along with them. Sasori's grandmother."

"Chiyo?" Sakura murmured. "But from what Sasori'd told me the hag had retired… How peculiar." There was a sort of cold detachment about her voice that Sasuke didn't miss.

"Indeed, and since they've started their pathetic goose-chase three days ago, you'd better get going if you want to catch up." Sadistic glee simmered in his yellow eyes.

Sasuke nodded. "We're going."

* * *

><p>Sakura was bustling around her room, packing the necessary equipment in one of her carrier scrolls. Her gaze fell on the small, face-less marionette that lay propped up in the corner of her cell-like room. A wave of nostalgia washed over her.<p>

_Sasori…_

She gently picked up the petite doll and pressed her lips to its forehead. "Sayonara." She whispered.

"You're not going to follow his orders, are you?" Sakura almost jumped.

_What's up with me? I'm never this jumpy. Not around Sasuke._

"No." she muttered. "But then again, when have I?"

"Sakura." When the rosette still didn't turn around he repeated louder this time. "You don't expect him to survive, do you?"

That got her attention. With a small swish of her white cloak she snapped her head to stare at him, her eyes wide. She wasn't _that_ easy to read, was she? "What gave you that idea?" she masked her surprise with that same cold detachment. It was easier that way.

"Akasuna no Sasori is a puppeteer. He's also an Akatsuki member. That doll," he pointed to the marionette Sakura had just replaced, "It's from him, isn't it?"

The rosette sighed. "Why do you have to be so damn observant?" she groaned.

"Being forced to interact with someone on a daily basis for over two years, you start to pick up on their reactions." His eyes twinkled with amusement. "Though you're probably the only person who I can truly say this rule doesn't apply to. Half the time I still don't know what you're thinking."

A small smirk formed on Sakura's face. "You're being awfully talkative today, Sasuke-chan. What's up?"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, turning away. No way in hell would he let her see the small blush on the bridge of his nose! His dignity had already suffered enough. "We should get going."

"Whatever you say."

* * *

><p><em>First impressions suck dicks. <em>

That was Sasuke's main thought as he and Sakura met outside to take off. If he hadn't known her for the last two years, hadn't seen her style or got to know her quirks, he'd have immediately underestimated her.

Though seriously, who wouldn't have?

Sakura was a genius. That he'd managed to figure out. But he'd only recently realized that she didn't like it when people found out about the fact. She'd go to extreme measures to keep that fact a secret. An advantage against her most cocky enemies.

That's why, as she walked alongside him, even Sasuke found himself underestimating her ability as a ninja, even though he knew that the seemingly fragile girl could easily overpower him at any given moment.

Her white, calf-long white cloak and the knee-high ninja sandals weren't designed for speed nor agility. That, together with her waist-long pastel pink hair and doll-like face were what threw people of the quickest. Many also noticed the fact that she didn't appear to be carrying any weapons, and, at first glance, her chakra seemed miniscule, though not repressed.

Unfortunately, most of the higher rank ninjas were male, and therefore possessed a higher – like Sakura called it – _'cocky factor'_. If they saw a 5'8 girl, dressed in a stark white, dress-like cloak with pink hair, they immediately dismissed her. That was their first mistake, which, also unfortunately came with a steep price – their lives.

And no matter how many times he'd seen it, Sasuke still couldn't believe how well the rosette could manipulate her appearance and other's reaction to her advantage.

Her eyes and fragile built were a decoy – Sasuke had seen the transformation far too many times. From sparkling emerald to deadly cool jade. Her body held muscle, both, for her monstrous punches as well as the incredible speed and agility she possessed.

The white cloak – that was Sasuke's favourite. It held so many traps, so many hidden weapons that he was surprised Sakura wasn't weighted down by it. The Uchiha had once made the mistake of trying to see just how many weapons there were when the rosette was sleeping.

He flinched inwardly_. Ah, the amount of kunai, shuriken, senbon. Scary. I think I even saw a self-launching mechanism._

Many would call that paranoia, but Sasuke knew that it was one of the many things that came with being a ninja.

And finally, the Sakura no-weapons. That was also wrong. She had far too many weapons - they were just really well hidden. had once said that the katana she used to carry on her back was a 'Dead give-away. I can't afford to have give-aways'. And her chakra.

_Ah, her chakra._

The reason it didn't appear repressed, though it definitely was, was simply because of the meticulous practise the rosette put it through each day. He'd asked her about it.

'_I see my chakra as a whip. If I uncoil it, straighten it; it strengthens it and I can also control how long or short I want it to be – chakra-wise, how much I want to repress it.'_

All those, together with her almost adorable thumb-to-mouth quirk was only a couple of the many things that made Sakura almost… Invincible.

Atleast in his opinion. No way was he ever going to tell her that. He had dignity.

_Yep. First impressions definitely suck_. He confirmed. _That, or she's just a master of mind-fuck._ Sasuke frowned. _I prefer the former_.

* * *

><p>It was around midnight when they finally stopped for the night, though both knew that they could easily have kept going for the next twelve hours. Sakura sat on one of the lower hanging branches sharpening her kunai, while Sasuke entertained himself by attempting to count the stars. It was more challenging than counting sheep.<p>

Plus, it would be atleast three more hours until Sakura even thought about going to sleep. Not that she could, anyway.

"Hey, Sasuke." Sakura said in her quiet, soft voice.

"Hn?"

"Do you… Do you ever regret running away?" she asked.

Sasuke sat up. He didn't even bother to question where that came from, but somehow he knew that it had to do with the bells she talked about in her forty-two minutes of sleep. He'd have to ask about that later.

"No. Not really. If I hadn't run away, I would still be weak." He turned his face to the sky. "Actually, they might even underestimate us."

_SLAM!_

The raven-haired teen jumped slightly when he saw the tree split clean in half. Sakura's kunai was ebbed clearly in the tree trunk behind. "Underestimate us you say?" a small glint shone in Sakura's eyes.

"Well then, we'll just have to teach them a very important lesson, won't we?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Humour me."

"We are not to be underestimated."

_THUD!_

Another tree split cleanly in two.

"Damn it, I want your chakra control."

"I want your stamina."

"You can train your stamina!"

"Well, you can train your chakra control!"

Sasuke chuckled. _There's no point. _He was sleep-deprived, she hadn't killed anyone in a whole entire week. Very small chance of them having an intelligent conversation.

So, instead he asked. "Hey, Sakura?" getting a lazy _hm?_ In reply, he deemed it safe to continue. "What do you mean by '_I keep hearing the bells'_?"

Sakura froze. "W-Where… Where did you hear that?"

"Doesn't matter. What does it mean?"

"I.. I'm not sure. I just have a very bad feeling." She paused, and took a deep breath. "Sasuke… I think Sasori is going to die."

* * *

><p><strong>Tada! <strong>

**Done!**

**So, yes, I know it's kinda weird, but both, the bells and Sakura's complicated thinking are going to be explained in the next chapter. Also!**

**Anyone actually reading this, prepare for some ****DeiSaku**** and ****SasuSaku**** next chapter!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**(Or else I'll send Pakkun after you! Be scared!)**

**~Ja ne!**


	29. Chaos is my Drug, Madness is my Dealer

**Hello my fellow readers! How are you all?**

**Once again, thanks for the reviews! They make me smile **

**Yes, this is the promised DeiSaku, however I'm afraid I'll have to add the SasuSaku in the next chapter. I had a certain place I wanted to end this chapter in, so that's the only real reason it's not this chapter. Sorry SasuSaku fans! **

_**\\\\ IMPORTANT NOTICE! /**_

**THERE IS A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER, SO IF YOU AWESOME PEOPLE COULD JUST CHECK IT OUT AND LEAVE YOUR ANSWER IN A REVIEW, IT WOULD BE REALLY APPRECIATED!**

_**\\\\ END OF IMPORTANT NOTICE! /**_

**Sooooo…**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>When Sasuke first heard it, he didn't believe her. Bells were normal; they could be used to make music, as a decoration, or even a helpful ninja tool.<p>

But bells used to signal that somebody was going to die?

It was unheard of. It was absurd.

He was tempted to remind her of that. Tell her about the difference between implausible and ridiculous, as she seemed to have forgotten. Shout at her that, while imagination was a good trait to have, she was overusing it. Laugh at her, and point that she had finally lost it, that she was insane.

However, the moment he saw those exhausted, distressed emerald pools of liquid fire, all fight was drained out of him. Instead, Sasuke found himself desperately wanting to believe her. And he knew why: he cared for her.

Although at first the idea was alien to him – impossible; he was _Sasuke Uchiha_, he didn't care for anything but his vengeance – he slowly grew to accept it. It was difficult not to like the pinkette.

So that's why, with his heart beating madly in his chest, he turned to face the rosette with two broken words.

"Humour me."

And she did.

* * *

><p><strong>~Later~<strong>

Sakura glanced to her left as noticed Sasuke's unusual silence. Maybe he was angry with her? They both knew that she didn't get a single wink of sleep last night, the worry eating out any of the previous fatigue she felt. Getting a better look, she realised he wasn't angry. Far from that.

A small smile bloomed on her face as she noticed the tell-tale gleam in his eyes. He was deep in thought. The smile widened when she realised _what_ he was so troubled by - her friend was still trying to come to terms with the revelation bomb she'd dropped on him last night.

* * *

><p>"<em>Sasuke… I think Sasori's going to die."<em>

_Silence…_

"_How- how could you possibly know something like that?" Sasuke exclaimed, slightly disturbed. _

_Sakura however, was calmer than ever as she quietly replied; "Do you remember when I told you about my first mission?"_

"_Yeah. When Kumogakure attacked because they were after some scroll or something. You were like five, or six, right?"_

"_Mhmm." She hummed in response. "Well, there was something else as well. Apparently Kumo ninja don't like losing, so they attacked again, three years later. I was only eight, but I wasn't as naïve as before. They wanted the scroll, but this time they decided to use more, ah, __**drastic**__ methods in order to obtain their goal."_

_Her emerald eyes turned to him, an indescribable anger building up behind. "They blew up the Mizukage's office." She said, her voice raw with emotion. "Although I was still very young, I was a Hunter-nin, so naturally, I was one of the first ones to be called in for back-up. However, Kumo ninjas turned out to be smarter than we'd presumed – they set one of the explosives to detonate a few minutes later. Now, if you imagine it, it was one of the best plans I've ever witnessed, though I guess it was more of a stroke of luck rather than genius. Hundreds of ninjas, trying to defeat the enemy, while at the same time defend their city; civilians panicking, comrades dying left and right. It was a truly gruesome sight."_

_The once boiling anger now turned into regretful melancholy. Sakura's eyes were dancing with unnamed emotions as she thought back to one of the most tragic moments of her life._

"_Due to my age, I was assigned with evacuating the civilians to safety. So, there I was, a frantic eight-year-old trying to control and protect about two hundred frightened, defenceless people. But, if the situation wasn't already bad enough, Kumo decided to make matters even worse – they send their ninja after the civvies. Do you see how bad that could turn out?" Sakura questioned rhetorically. _

"_I had to deal with the war with crying children, some of them older than me, by my side, with six or seven ANBU level shinobi out for my blood. Two of them were targeted by my comrades, one changed direction, another one stopped altogether. That still left three to deal with me. The first one was an idiot – one kunai and he was down on the ground, desperately clutching at his cut throat. Second one was a bit harder since I had to dispose of him while still staying relatively close to the children because they wouldn't move without me, but I got him. Then came the third one. He was the hardest, and I was forced to retreat and focus on the kids as they were my priority, and because of the irritating bells ringing in my head. But then something happened."_

_Sasuke didn't even realise he'd sat up until he found himself picking at the grass close to his outstretched foot in anticipation. _

"_The hidden explosion went off. I was close to the office since most civilians prefer to live close to the ninjas for safety reasons, so most of the blast hit us. Before I even realised, I was on the ground, on my pack, pinned down by another little boy. He was cute, maybe four, five years old; really clingy but adorable. Then guess what?" Sasuke was shocked to see tears pool in her eyes. "I sit up, and his cold, dead body falls off my lap. Turns out that the Kumo ninja used the moment of chaos and confusion as his advantage, and leaped to strike me. His sword was sticking out of the kid." Sakura's throat clogged up. "He- He threw h-himself to block the attack. He was just a child…" she whispered, regret and sadness evident. "So I lost it. I asked one of the adults to make sure they get to safety quickly, and I went on a rampage. The Kumo ANBU didn't stand a chance against a pissed off eight-year-old."_

_A smirk tugged at the corners of Sasuke's lips. That sounded so much like Sakura. _

"_So ,that's basically what led me to believe that Sasori isn't going to live long. The bells are never wrong, Sasuke."_

* * *

><p>Sakura sighed. It was a lot to get his head around, but he had to. She needed him on her side. Sasuke was one of the most powerful people she'd ever met – having him as an ally was going to be very beneficial.<p>

Sensing a familiar, albeit rapidly fading chakra signature nearby, Sakura stopped. "We're here."

"Hm?" Sasuke paused too, and Sakura saw the misty look disappear from his eyes. "Do we split?"

"Yeah. If my calculations are correct… We're already too late."

Sasuke's blood ran cold. "What?" he chocked. "You knew this? We could've gone faster!"

"Sasuke, Sasuke. Don't you remember?" she mocked lightly. "I told you I wasn't going to listen to the snake's plan. I was going to use this situation to my advantage from the very beginning. Sasori's death is just an unfortunate sacrifice needed to help create a better world."

That's when it finally hit him. "You're going to use _that_ technique again, aren't you?"

"Clever boy. Now, if you don't mind, _henge_." She said, though her tone was more serious than before. He could tell she was worried.

"Sakura. Go. Don't worry. I've got your back."

"That's the _least_ of my worries, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

><p>A tall brunette peaked into the destroyed cave. Her forest green eyes scanned the area, looking for threats. When none were seen, she walked in and tried to locate the body.<p>

"Dammit. Long hair is so _annoying_." She groaned, already irritated by her choice of henge.

_Oh no._

Sakura knew she had to face the dead body of one of her closest friends at some point during the day, but she was all for stalling. However, fate seemed to have different plans.

Sasori's puppet body stood motionless in the middle of the cavern. His puppet-parents stood on either side of him, their swords protruding out of the white cylindrical container. His heart.

**No.**

His eyes were glassy, as if he was reminiscing, and Sakura hoped he was. It was easier for her to come to terms with the fact that he was not with her because he was thinking about something else, than the fact that he was not there because he _couldn't_ be there.

_**NO! SASORI!**_

Daring herself to come closer, the desperate need to make sure that maybe; maybe she was seeing wrong or- or-!

_There's no point._

Sakura knew. The moment she saw the blood dribble down his sculpted, wooden chest, she knew she was too late. He was too far gone for her to save him.

_Sasori…_

Shakily raising her hand, Sakura stroked his cold cheek, tears streaming silently down her face. Slowly and gently, she pulled his eyelids down, covering his glazed hazel eyes.

_Now he just looks like he's asleep._

Sakura took a deep breath. It was time to do what she originally came here to do. Gathering chakra in her hand, she let the purple glow sizzle for a moment, before plunging it into the cylinder.

"**Revival Jutsu!" **before anything could happen, she was already making more hand signs, her hands flashing with the incredible speed. A moment later, a scroll was pulled out from her pouch. Sakura bit her thumb and squeezed it to make the blood flow faster – she only had a few seconds to draw the symbol before the revival jutsu started its work. Roughly smearing the blood on Sasori's chest into a kanji then transferring the same kanji to the scroll, she performed the last hand sign. **"Six Paths of Pain Technique!"**

Blinding white light encased the entire cave. Once it receded, Sakura moved her hand away from her eyes. Sasori's body was gone, his parents lay on the floor, useless and broken. The rosette turned her gaze to the scroll clutched tightly in her bleeding hand. A crimson red

which meant scorpion stood proudly against the yellowish paper of the scroll.

A single tear escaped Sakura's eye. _To think that I'm going to use you like you've used your puppets your entire life… you've truly become a puppet, Sasori. In every sense of the word__. Forgive me for my selfishness._

* * *

><p>"Sasuke!" Sakura called out as she ran out of the cave.<p>

Nothing. No response.

Distant explosions echoed a little distance away from where she stood. _Of course. If Sasori is here than Deidara must be here too. _

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. _I can't let him see me. But at the same time… I __**need**__ him to see me. _

Acting on an impulse she'd never felt before, the rosette followed the trail of pulverized trees and large craters that were unmistakeably made by Deidara's explosions.

_There he is- Oh __**fuck**__!_

Deidara was there. It was just that he wasn't alone. The Copy Cat Ninja and the Kyuubi container were on his tail, both looking ready to kill.

_Out of all the people… he just __had__ to piss off those two!_

It seemed that no matter the time that passed, Sakura would always end up magically saving Deidara's ass. _Wait a sec, doesn't the Copy Ninja have a Sharingan…? What if he unlocked the Mangekyo? _

Her theory was confirmed when she heard the blond gasp. She distantly heard him ask Kakashi _'what happened to your eye, sensei?'_

_Uh-oh._

"This is Kamui, Naruto. Authority of the Gods. It's a space-time technique that allows me to transfer an object to another dimension." When the blond got a confused look on his face, Sakura saw him sigh. "If I use it on a human, it transports them to another dimension – in other words, kills them."

Sakura paled.

_OH FUCK. _

Just as Kakashi was about to unleash the jutsu, Sakura threw a kunai at his back. It hit squarely between his shoulder blades, effectively disrupting his concentration.

_No matter what, Deidara must live. _

Sakura jumped from treetop to treetop until she was within range to attack Deidara's clay bird.

_Gotta make it believable. _

"This is for my brother, you son-of-a-bitch!" Sakura yelled in fake anger, her henge on to make it seem as if she really was some random girl attacking an S-Rank criminal out of grief.

Che.

"**Water Release: Giant Bullet Ball!" **

_Water and clay don't mix, Dei-chan. You told me that yourself._

"Shit, un!" Deidara exclaimed in shock, as his clay started falling apart below his feet. He leaped off of his creation, and exploded it in the last attempt to stop his pursuers.

The crazy girl continued to chase after him, throwing deadly accurate shuriken and kunai in his direction. Even though he was confused as to why she'd saved his arm from being ultimately blown off, he was starting to understand.

_She wanted to kill him herself._

"Stop running away, damn it!" the brunette hissed, as yet another kunai swished by his ear.

_She sounds almost like-! __**No**__, Deidara. Don't delude yourself. Leader-sama said she's dead. She must be dead, otherwise she'd have already tried to find us, right? … _Right_?_

"I told you… STOP RUNNING AWAY!" suddenly the girl appeared right in front of him, effectively stopping his escape. Only quick reflexes and years of training with Sasori saved his nose from being squished like a tomato as he caught her fist.

"I wasn't running away, un."

"Oh yes, you were, _un_." The girl mocked.

Deidara was about to retort, until he noticed something that made his eyes go wide with shock;  
>A small clay dove dangled from a thin leather string that was wrapped around the girl's slender wrist.<p>

_Only one person has a bracelet like that…_

He grasped the brunette's slim wrist as he acted upon a do-or-die instinct.

The blond bomber looked straight into the girl's eyes, his own crystal blue ones hard, yet hopeful.

"_Sakura-Chan." _He emphasised the –_chan_, his voice quiet but clear.

Deidara didn't miss the slight widening of her eyes, or the look of shock as realization dawned upon her when she let her eyes trail over to her captured wrist and the small piece of jewellery that dangled from it.

To his surprise, the girl snorted. "Shit," she cursed, reminding him vaguely of Hidan. "I'm getting sentimental."

He saw her hazel eyes close as she let the henge melt away. The sight that greeted him made his heart skip a beat.

Sakura was nothing like the girl he'd known back in Akatsuki. She was taller, slimmer and her eyes held a dead look that made chills run down his spine. The eyes that spoke of horrors no one should be forced to witness. Especially no one as innocent and kind-hearted as Sakura.

"'Innocent and kind-hearted'?" the rosette quoted, alerting him to the fact that he must've said the last part aloud. "You live in a dream, Deidara. The girl you described is long gone. She'd dead. She will _never_ come back." Suddenly, pain was evident in those emerald eyes that had haunted him for months after he'd been informed of her apparent _'death'_. He wished for nothing more than to make that pain go away. "She _**can't**_ come back."

"You can come back. You can run away, can't you?"

A sad smile appeared on her face. "Have you ever heard of anyone who'd run away from Orochimaru and survived? I haven't."

Deidara's eyes widened. "Orochimaru?" he choked out. "Sasori-danna's old partner, un?"

At the mention of Sasori's name the pain in her eyes only intensified. "Sasori's dead, Deidara." She whispered.

The blond froze. _D-dead? _Even his mind stuttered. _**No**__. This is some joke. Sasori can't be dead, he's strong, deadly, smart, hell, he's invincible! He can't be dead! Not now! I can't lose another person…_

"I'm sorry. I-I know he was important to you. I was too weak, too late-!" her voice cracked.

Deidara's eyes widened. _She's blaming herself? Why?_

"It should've been me that died instead of him. Please, Dei, forgive me. I didn't wa- _mmpf_!"

Sakura's eyes snapped open when Deidara's lips crashed into hers. His lips were soft and warm, nothing like she'd have expected them to be. He was rough, demanding and passionate. Sakura shivered when she felt his tongue swipe at her bottom lip, and automatically granted him entrance, all rational thought blown out of her mind. It seemed as if it was only the two of them in the entire world, everything else didn't matter.

The rosette realised she liked that feeling.

A stubborn voice in her mind, her conscience, or whatever, didn't like that decision.

_**What about Itachi?**_ it seemed to ask.

_Itachi who?_

Deidara pulled away for a moment, his breath hot on her face. "Stop thinking so much, yeah." He whispered huskily. Then his lips were upon hers once again.

Suddenly there was shouting around them, and Sakura was ripped away from Deidara by strong arms _clad in a green jumpsuit?_

_-The fuck?_

"Deal with her, Neji!" the person tossed her away, obviously not recognising her.

Another pair of arms caught her, and Sakura was roughly pulled into a standing position, angry Byakugan eyes zeroing on her own, then widening in shock as they realised who she was.

"Sakura…?" the tall brunette whispered, disbelieving. He composed himself quickly, the emotionless façade covering his features. "What are you doing here?"

"I expected a slightly warmer greeting after not seeing you for over two years, Neji. I'm disappointed."

A chakra laden hand roughly jabbed into her ribs, making her double over, but not from the pain. Blood clogged up her throat, stopping her breathing. She coughed violently, the crimson liquid pouring out of her lips like a fountain.

Neji's eyes widened. That shouldn't happen simply from one strike! It was meant to prevent her from talking anymore nonsense, not almost kill her! Unless it was something else that caused her coughing fit, and the attack merely triggered it.

The Hyuuga allowed his doujutsu to scan over the pinkette's hunched over form, until his eyes came to rest on the cause of her attack.

"You should be dead." He stated, the impossibility of the situation still not getting to him. "Sakura. Your lungs are practically _being eaten from the inside_." He cried, almost hysterically. "You shouldn't even be walking! Forget fighting, how the hell are you still standing?" his voice rose with every word.

"Magic." The rosette chuckled dryly, wiping the blood that dribbled down her chin.

"Sakura. Be serious." Neji pleaded, pride long forgotten. It should be impossible for her to even walk, and here she was, standing as if nothing had ever happened. Out of nowhere, he noticed that her hand was coming closer to him, the hum of chakra buzzing louder, the closer she got.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm being serious. Forgive me, Neji, but if I let you go, you would only spread my secret." A small smile tweaked at the corners of her lips. "I'm dying. But I have a few more things I need to do before I pass on. You must understand." Suddenly her hand hit his neck, pressing a pressure point which knocked him out cold.

"I'm sorry." Sakura whispered, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "You have to understand."

She quickly knelt down, slipping a piece of paper into his kunai pouch. Just as she straightened out, arms once again wrapped themselves around her waist. This time, she relaxed when she recognised the slightly possessive hold of the younger Uchiha.

"Don't relax just yet." Hu murmured in her ear. "We've got trouble."

Sakura groaned. "What kind of shit did you get us into _this_ time, Sasuke?"

"The best kind."

* * *

><p>"Oh, wow." Sakura whispered as they neared the clearing. "I never knew he was this liked."<p>

"Becoming Kazekage does that to your reputation, apparently."

In the clearing were atleast two hundred people, all of whom were either crying or just eyeing the motionless teen on the ground with disbelieving expressions.

"Well, their precious Kazekage is _dead_." Sakura said cruelly, an evil glint shining in her eyes.

"Unless the hag has something else in mind."

"And here I thought Suna ninja didn't care about each other."

"And here I thought you actually had a brain."

"_Hey!"_

* * *

><p>Sakura was stunned.<p>

Sasori's grandmother was a medic. She'd just brought the Kazekage to life, by sacrificing her own one.

"I need that technique." Sakura whispered.

"What?"

"I said that I need that technique."

"_**NO**_!"

Over two hundred heads turned in their direction at Sasuke's loud exclamation. Sakura could feel the murderous intent coming from some ninja, while others were just dumbstruck.

"S-Sasuke?" Naruto questioned. He was one of the shocked/disbelieving.

Sakura noticed how Kakashi slid slightly in front of Naruto, almost protectively.

The Kazekage, his siblings, few Konoha ninja and most of Suna's backed him up. Over all, at least three-quarters of the people gathered were ready for a fight.

"Fuck," Sakura groaned, bringing her hand to her forehead dramatically.

"We're screwed."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh! UNICORN!<strong>

**Nevermind. **

**This, my lovelies, is yet another chapter finished. Hope you enjoyed, and please review!**

**Now, for the question!**

**I HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF HOW THIS FANFIC IS GOING TO END. QUESTION IS;**

**Which pairing would you like? Choose from those listed below please:**

_-SasuSakuIta_

_-SasuSaku_

_-ItaSaku_

_-NejiSakuShika_

_-ShikaSaku_

_-NejiSaku_

Or, of course, none of the above.

**REVIEW!**


	30. Fitting into Categories

**Hello my faithful readers! It's been a great pleasure reading all of your replies and requests for the pairings and I am glad to say that I will try to add in every pairing you requested, regardless of whether it won or not, however the winning pair will be the couple at the end of this fanfic.**

**The results are as follows:**

**ShikaSakuNeji: 2 votes**

**SasuSaku: 10 votes**

**NejiSaku: 7 votes**

**ItaSaku: ****11 votes!**

**ItaSakuSasu: 7 votes**

**ShikaSaku: 1 vote**

**Other: 3 votes**

**And here we are!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, though I must warn you, it might swing towards the slightly angsty, depressed mode in some parts, but it's compensated for that as the promised SASUSAKU KISS IS HERE!**

**Also, I know this ****ENTIRE**** story has been swinging towards the angst, although the description clearly says 'Romance & Humour', but I believe every story needs to have a sort of climax, a gradual build-up to the main events. But don't you worry, the Humour shall return with vengeance in the next chapters!**

**To one of my reviewers **_kisukebenihime_** for pointing out an important fact:**

_**Thank you for your review and recommendation! I'm well aware of the little detail you pointed out, and I hope that this chapter will explain it all. Enjoy!**_

* * *

><p>Sakura scowled. Those weren't the most pleasing odds. Over two hundred fully qualified ninja,all chuunin level or above, against them; two missing-nins. Not only were they terribly outnumbered, but they were also faced with people who wouldn't hesitate to kill them for their wrongdoings.<p>

Not good.

"Sasuke." The rosette muttered from the corner of her mouth. "We need to get out of here. Quickly."

To her surprise, the raven-haired teen growled at her. "No. We will fight."

Just as Sakura was about to ridicule him for his stupidity and egoistic tendencies which were bound to get them killed at some point, she noticed the penetrating glare Sasuke was sending to the blond Kyuubi container. And, in her own, twisted way, she understood why Sasuke wanted to stay. She had seen that glare in the eyes of Deidara far too many times to be healthy, every time his eyes came to rest on Itachi.

The two teens had unfinished business.

_And, judging from the scorn of Sasuke's glare, and the other boy's pleading gaze, they must've been teammates before Sasuke defected._

"Fine." Sakura replied. "You take half, I take the other."

From the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed the Copy Ninja's look of surprise at her quick reply. He probably thought that she was joking.

Ignoring her common sense, Sakura let the adrenaline pump freely through her veins, and the bloodlust overtake her body. She was out for revenge for Sasori's death, and that never ended well.

"Let's get started then," she licked her lips. "Or are you too scared?"

* * *

><p>They had been fighting for seconds, minutes, maybe hours. Time seemed non-existent when faced with a situation of life and death, hundred vs. one. Sakura's Chakra Scalpel sliced yet another throat, blood spilling mercilessly on her pale hands. Hands that were now covered in delicious crimson liquid, the life-force of her enemies that dripped on her hands and body as she cut them down, one by one.<p>

True, she'd never been faced with such overwhelming odds before, but due to Suna being a country which consisted of long-range fighters; her close-and-mid-range techniques gave her the unbeatable advantage.

Yet another body fell at her feet.

Absentmindedly, Sakura raised one blood-covered hand to her face in curiosity, suddenly overcome with the unexplainable urge to taste her victims' pain. Her pink tongue darted out to lick one crimson-coated finger, but she froze before they met.

The repulsive truth of what she was about to do had finally gotten to her. Sakura's hands shook, and she dropped to her knees on the thick branch she was standing on. She forgot about the impromptu battle that was raging around her, and studiously ignored the shocked faces of her attackers who were too shell-shocked at the fall of the invincible pinkette to use the opportunity.

Sakura's entire body convulsed and she felt bile rise up her throat. She had become like him. The sick, twisted bastard that was Orochimaru had polluted her mind, infecting it with his ideals and quirks. She was never like that before.

_No_, she agreed. _But that's what I had __**agreed**__ to become in order to become stronger and reach my destiny. A mindless, blood-thirsty killing machine. _

Suddenly it all seemed so pointless. The missions she took with Sasuke, their spars, the blood, sweat and tears that went into her training. Her glazed eyes fell on the corpses below her. Who said she would never end up like that? Who said anyone could ever cheat death?

_**You**_** can. You're immortal until you kill Pein.**

_I can only dream. Immortality. What a worthless idea. I will defeat Pein with my own power. Plus, I'm dying anyway and even you can't stop that._

**I can't take it back. Just like Hidan can't un-convert from being a Jashinist, or Kakuzu get rid of his hearts. Immortality is forever. And you're deluding yourself. Your illness will not kill you before you finish off Pein. It will be a bother, but a harmless bother. **

Sakura stood up. She regretted ever agreeing to this. Only now did she fully understand. There was no way she could ever fully ensure her survival. Even if she killed off all her enemies, more would come.

Sasuke appeared in her peripheral vision, and it seemed he still didn't understand. He was still fighting. And was stuck in a much nastier situation than hers. With a sigh, she reached for her special kunai. Just before Sakura threw the kunai to Sasuke's location and disappeared, she made a horizontal slash through the palm of her hand, watching as the blood bubbled up.

**What's this?**

_A testimony against immortality. _

* * *

><p>Space-time Jutsus had always been her favourites. Being able to simultaneously disappear and reappear in a different place was the skill she had most admired when she was younger and had first heard of Minato Namikaze. The idea that he was able to save his comrades before the danger even appeared seemed like a heroic skill at the time, one Sakura swore she would master.<p>

Of course, those were the petty dreams of the young, and when she finally mastered the **Thunder God** technique her thoughts hadn't been _'How many people can I save with this power?_' but rather _'How many throats can I cut with this speed?'._

Her views had changed drastically over the years. She was no longer the innocent, delusional little girl that believed every word that came out of her father's mouth, but she was neither the ruthless killer who didn't care. She felt a bit unsettled at being unable to put herself under a certain category. On the outside she might look the same, but on the inside her inner turmoil equalled that of the chaos during the First Shinobi War.

_Just who exactly __**am**__ I?_

Ignoring the nagging feeling that she just _didn't know_ and she hated _not knowing_, Sakura appeared in front of Sasuke, her goal clear even in her confusion.

Save the bastard and get out of there alive.

She didn't care that by protecting Sasuke she would get in line of direct attack, all she wanted was to just get out of there and think. Think about her past, present, future, her regrets and decisions and drown herself in the never-ending pool of self-pity and depression. But not now. Now she had a job to do. Save her comrade and dear friend and haul ass away from there.

Sakura hissed as a particularly well-aimed kunai sliced a deep cut in her arm.

"Sasuke, we're getting the fuck out of here." She snarled. The Uchiha knew when to shut his mouth if he wanted to stay alive, so he wordlessly went with her request, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Just before they disappeared, Sakura saw the Copy Ninja's eyes widen at Saskue's almost protective hold, but the surprise soon vanished as he realised what they were about to do.

"Stop them!"

_Too late…_

"**Shunshin no Jutsu!"**

* * *

><p>Sakura gasped as they tumbled down to the floor of the hideout. She'd modified the Shunshin in such a way that now it was actually a teleportation jutsu and not just a cover for high-speed travel. It took more chakra, but after using the modified version she was sure their attackers couldn't trace them.<p>

She stood up and dusted herself off, eyes searching for Sasuke. When she found him, she realised he'd already stood up and was currently examining the cut on his chest where a shuriken had hit. It was shallow, but long, and Sakura knew Sasuke was already irritated, not because he's in pain, but because he wasn't able to dodge.

_Che. He'll probably nag me to train with him again. Sasuke doesn't like failing._

But right now, even her inner thoughts and lack of the irritating Sage constantly invading her mind weren't enough to cheer her up.

The rosette was still trying to sort herself into a category. Categories were easier to deal with. She would know what she was, the pros and cons of being that way, and she could nurture her strengths and work on her weaknesses.

Suddenly, she froze. The word kept rolling over around in her head.

_Weakness. Weak. Pathetic. Weak. Insecure._

Could that be it? Was that her category?

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Not even an hour ago, she'd collapsed on her knees in the _middle of a freaking battle_ simply because she'd realized something she didn't like. Then, she'd teleported her and Sasuke out of the place under the noble pretence of '_Saving'_ her comrade. But was that really it? Why would she even think Sasuke _needed_ saving if she wasn't insecure?

_Hm. So that's really it. _

Sakura felt like she was going to explode if she didn't talk to someone about it. Sasuke had listened to her all the times before, so why shouldn't she just talk to him?

Deciding that was the best option, Sakura walked over to her friend and stood facing him, while his back was to the wall.

"Hey… Sasuke? Can I talk to you about something?" Sakura cursed her wavering voice. No doubt Sasuke would notice.

Even if he noticed, Sasuke chose to ignore it, and instead gestured for her to continue.

"You know… back there, during the fight?" she started. Sasuke's eyebrow rose but he didn't comment for which she was glad. "I've been thinking… all I ever do is run away! I feel so weak and useless, like all those missions and training and spars we take on are for nothing! If all I can think about in a precarious situation is my overwhelming desire to turn on my heel and flee, what kind of ninja am I?" she was getting louder and louder with each sentence. "I envy you, you know? You never think of the odds, you stay with your feet firm and fight anyone that gets in your way! I can't do that! Why am I so-!"

The look in Sasuke's eyes cut her off. He looked amused, like her troubles were funny to him.

"Why do you insist on spewing ridiculous nonsense today?" he asked seriously, though with a teasing edge in his voice. "If there's anyone I know that's stronger than me, it's you Sakura. The fact that you wish to stay alive does not make you weak."

"Don't patronise me, Sasuke! If I'm as strong as you say, why did I get scared of the blood I'd spilled? Why did I turn my back on my enemies and flee? I'm a paper-ninja Sasuke! I can outwit the goddamn Hokage on paper, but I can't do shit in the field! All that training was used to shut up the little insecure voice in my head, but it seems that it'd been reborn! Fuck! What good ninja-!"

It seemed as though Sasuke did not like repeating himself, and Sakura found that she was once again interrupted, though this time in a much more pleasurable way. With speed even the rosette could be envious of, Sasuke spun them around and pinned Sakura to the wall, crushing his lips to hers.

The kisses were demanding everything from her and giving it all back, double the strength. Sakura found her knees buckling, and if it weren't for the wall and Sasuke's hands on her waist stabilizing her, she would have melted to the ground into a puddle of pink, Sakura-ish, aroused goo.

Sasuke broke the kiss first and leaned his forehead on Sakura's, his pants and gasps mixing with her own.

"You... talk too much." He gasped out, a smirk plastered on his handsome face.

Sakura took that as the end of the conversation. Sasuke was very headstrong, and any further discussions about Sakura's strength or general status in the field would have evolved into a nasty argument that Sakura did not feel like indulging in.

So, instead, she acted on what she did best and pushed her insecurities to the back of her mind, replacing them with a smile.

"You know you love it." She replied slyly, her voice teasing.

"Mhm." Sasuke hummed, and in an instant he was upon her once again.

Lips meeting, tongues battling for dominance, hands wandering and touching wherever they could, Sakura let her mind be overcome with wave after pleasurable wave of sensations she had never experienced before. Shifting her position against the wall, Sakura wrapped her legs around Sasuke's waist, his own hands moving to her bum to support her.

Feeling left out, Sakura moved her hands to Sasuke's chest, sliding them over his pecs and abdomen, absentmindedly tracing the muscles. At Sasuke's surprised, yet pleased gasp, she allowed a small smirk of satisfaction bloom on her face.

_So,_ she thought dazedly, _It seems that there are other ways to bring a person to their knees. Ways that do not involve sharp, pointy objects_.

And thus, a new game had been born.

* * *

><p>Sakura stood before Orochimaru, a scowl twisting her pale face into a grimace, not enjoying the snake's overconfident expression.<p>

It was unusual for her to be summoned to Orochimaru without Sasuke. All the missions they took they took together, and it had been that way for the last two years.

"So, dear Sakura-_chan~_" he hissed, a sick, sadistic glee reflected in his yellow eyes.

"Stop." Sakura commanded, her eyes cold and uncaring. It was a façade, but there was no way she was going to show Orochimaru just how much her recent discovery had weakened her. "You do not deserve to speak to me with such familiarity. Drop the ~_chan_, you bastard."

"Hm," the Sannin mused, "interesting. You were more than happy for Sasuke-kun to speak to you that way." Noticing how Sakura's shoulders tensed at the mention of Sasuke's name, he smirked. "Oh, yes. I know _everything_. But really, Sakura-dear, you shouldn't get your hopes up. He's going to leave soon."

Orochimaru cackled gleefully. "Yes, very soon indeed. In a few months he'll be stronger, far stronger than you or dear Itachi-kun, and when he is, he will hunt down your precious Itachi all by himself, leaving you to rot here, without a single backwards glance." His tongue slid out to lick at his lips, making Sakura shudder with obvious repulsion. "And when he defeats Itachi, I will track him down and possess his body, and when it's all done, I will finally have the Sharingan at my disposal and the world at my feet."

His eyes flickered to her, the yellow orbs shining with insanity. "And you, dear Sakura-chan, will be left here, unwanted and forgotten, no more than a little broken doll without a purpose."

Sakura had to bite her lip so hard that she tasted her own blood, and recite the Shinobi Codex in her mind twice, before she was sure that she wouldn't attempt to strangle the despicable man so much that his eyeballs popped out.

When she felt like she could speak again, Sakura made sure to make it as venomous and hateful as she could muster. "Was there any particular reason you summoned me here, Orochimaru-_dono_, other than to prove just how much you wish for me to rid you of your pitiful life?" she asked.

Orochimaru chuckled and the rosette winced at the sound. "Oh, your fiery nature never fails to amuse me, Sakura-chan. But yes, there is a certain mission I wish for you and Sasuke-kun to take. However, you shall also take a fellow, _ah_, follower of mine, to make him see how _real_ Oto ninja _should behave_." There was something about the way he said those last words that made Sakura suspect that it was something more than just a case of show-and-tell. Like he'd done something that displeased the snake Sannin. But she pushed the nagging feeling to the back of her mind, and instead concentrated on the scroll Orochimaru had tossed her.

"Shinji Kaori… _chuunin_… special abilities: chakra absorbtion techniques?" she mused with a raised brow. "Never mind. Age: 18… graduated academy aged 14, became chuunin last year…" Sakura raised her incredulous gaze to meet Orochimaru's. "You're sending a pathetic, inexperienced _**chuunin**_ with us? He'll only get in our way!" she exclaimed.

"Well, you'll just have to deal with it." He smirked. "You leave in two hours."

* * *

><p>Once on a mission, Sasuke had told her something she would never forget. They were badly outnumbered, surrounded by ANBU that were sent to kill on sight. Around fifty to two. Sakura had been planning to use her Shinrai Tensei technique, and then deal with the survivors in a way she saw fit. The chances of her survival were about 46%. Far less than she would've liked, and definitely not enough for Sasuke. That's why she ordered him to go; shrieked that <em>no matter what, he needed, <em>_**needed**__ to get away!_, but he just stood there, eyes blazing with determination.

And when she was about to shout again, he was suddenly at her side, his hand gripping her own, eyes glaring into hers, those pale lips calmly and surely, although the situation was anything but, saying the words she still remembered had shaken her to the core.

_If there's anything that Konoha'd taught me, it's that a ninja that disobeys orders is trash, but the ninja that flees when he can stay and help is worse that trash. _

But now was different.

Everything was more vibrant, the realisation that much clearer.

This was their worst situation yet.

And standing there, gazing at the scorched, deformed _corpse_ of the Chuunin that she'd begun to call a teammate, Sakura understood.

They had gotten lucky. All those times, it wasn't skill, or power, or anything else but sheer luck. And it seemed that her luck had finally run out.

* * *

><p>The mission Orochimaru had sent them on was a fluke. There was no scroll, no customer, only a battalion of ninjas waiting for them when they prepared to return.<p>

Not friendly ninja either.

It seemed the Hidden Villages had formed a temporary alliance to track down and dispose of them. Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Akatsuki, S-Rank Criminals, Missing-nin, killed more than they dared to count.

At least 300 ninja, all wearing masks, brandishing a weapon, radiating killer intent. None below Jounin level.

It was the beginning of the most memorable and thought-provoking battle Sakura had ever been in.

And the time she finally _saw it._

* * *

><p>Iwa, Kumo, Kuro, Suna, Cloud. Those were the headbands she had recognised. There were about five or six others, but representing such small villages they weren't listed anywhere Sakura would've normally looked.<p>

But still, over three hundred ninja against three? Well, two now. The rosette was shaken, but she continued on, kunai after kunai, hit after hit, although there was nothing she would've liked more than to fall to her knees and sleep. Sleep sleep sleep.

There was only one way out. Sasuke's One Thousand Birds Current was a long range attack, but it ate over a third of his chakra. He was out of his comfort zone in long-range, outnumbered battles.

Sakura was not.

The cold realisation finally sunk in.

Sasuke had to battle Itachi. He _**had**_ to. But in order to do that, he needed to be _**alive.**_

Sakura?

Not so much. True, she had a mission of her own – kill Pein. However with her, even if she died, Pein wouldn't live too long either. Jiraya-sama was onto him, and if it wasn't by the pervert's hand, then it would be by the blonde brat's. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. He did not have skill, but he had determination and potential.

So, self-sacrifice, anyone?

Sakura quickly flash-stepped to be closer to her raven teammate.

"Sasuke. When I say, you need to get out of here." She ordered. "This isn't a request. There is no way we can stay and survive. I know you know it. You're a clever boy." Her throat clogged up. "If I finish, I promise I'll come back to the base, and help you track Itachi. But for now," she swallowed. "Just trust me."

Sasuke gazed at her, battle momentarily forgotten. "Not _**if**_. When. When you finish, okay?" he asked.

Unable to say much more, Sakura nodded.

And they separated once again.

When the never-ending waves of shinobi stopped for a moment, Sakura didn't waste the chance.

"**Shinrai Tensei!" **the blast was the biggest she'd ever managed to conjure. "GO SASUKE!"

No question, no last, pleading look over the shoulder, no hesitation. At her shriek, Sasuke had turned on his heel and fled, forgetting about teleportation techniques by the sheer terror of the fight. Like a coward.

Suddenly, it made sense.

Cowards. That's who they were.

No.

No.

A small smirk made its way to her face. She got it backwards. They _weren't_ cowards, they _weren't_ weak.

They were _**shinobi**_.

Joyful realisation over, it was time to play.

"**Cursed Seal; Level One." **Sakura muttered. The markings began spreading over her skin, covering every square inch, giving her an inhumane chakra rush. **"Level Two."**

More beast-like than ever, and feeling happier than in a long while, she was ready.

_If I die now, it'll at least be with a smile on my face._

_.._

Sakura panted. She was bruised and broken, bleeding profusely from all places imaginable. With the last bit of chakra she had left, she Shunshin'ed to the nearest village, the cool moisture known as rain hitting her body.

She didn't know how long she'd laid there, only that at some point two blurry shapes had appeared in her vision. Nothing else. The rest was overtaken by the unforgiving darkness.

"_Is she dead?"_

"_No, but close."_

"_Shi, we __**have**__ to save her."_

"_But you heard it yourself – she was __**already**__ supposed to be dead."_

"_You really believed that? The Sakura we knew would never go without a fight."_

"_The Sakura we knew is long gone. It's been three years since the Exams. She'd changed."_

"_But she's still our teammate. We __**have**__ to save her."_

"_You're right."_

"_I usually am."_

…

**Ta da!**

**I'm not exactly happy with this chapter, but it was necessary. I apologise if Sakura's monologue-ish thought bored you, but that had to be over and done with. **

**I estimate it'll be about three or four chapters until the Pein invasion, and around seven till the ITACHI SITUATION. Then maybe the Tobi/Madara thingy. Keep tuned.**

**Also, would anyone dare to guess who the last two people were?**

**-Shadow-chan **


	31. It's always darkest before the Dawn

**Hey everyone!**

**First and foremost, I apologize for the '**_**emoness'**_** of the last chapter. Still, thank you to everyone who reviewed, especially **Nixxy**-dear. Your review made my day Also, well done to **L.M.D.A.A.** and **_**Nixxy**_** for guessing who were the '**_**unknowns'**_** in the last chappie.**

**This chapter is slightly crazy, almost crack, and was meant to be the return of the humour. I just wanted the story to relax a little, give our dear Saku-chan a little breather. Too much happening. **

**Anyway, **Lil old me**. I sincerely apologize for the 'emoness'. Please review and tell me if this chapter is any better. I enjoy constructive criticism. And anyway, Sakura is **_**NOT**_** going to die. But that's a secret, so shhh.**

* * *

><p>Sakura's eyes felt heavy, and it sounded like someone was raping a drum right next to her ear, judging by the deafening pounding in her head. She groaned, not recognising her surroundings at all – she hadn't slept on a soft and comfy bed ever since she left Akatsuki – but decided to keep the fact that she was awake a secret for now. Instead she tried to recall what had happened that led to her current predicament.<p>

_Oww… scratch that. Find some painkillers first, and __**then**__ think._

She opened her eyes and stood up shakily, intending to find the closest painkiller possible as her chakra was still dangerously low, but was stopped by a loud squeal and someone glomping her, causing her already non-existent balance to topple.

"Oof!" she grunted as her back hit the floor. The… surprisingly _soft_ floor. Carpet?

"Saku-chan! We thought we lost you just then! What the hell were you thinking, almost killing yourself like that, huh?"

"Umi! Get the hell off her! She can't breathe, stupid!"

"Oi! I'm not stupid!"

"Wha…What the hell…?" Sakura hissed, clutching her head. She blinked a few times, finally noticing the two in front of her. "Umi-chan? Shiso? Why're you guys here?" her common sense had decided to take a vacation.

"We live here, you dummy! And we were looking after you!" Umi supplied cheerfully.

"Correction, _**I**_ was looking after you, while the idiot over there attempted to '_help'_." Shiso corrected, irritated, handing her a glass of water and two white pills. "Painkillers." He answered her wordless question, kneeling next to her. "Are you feeling any better?"

Sakura swallowed the pills gratefully, and considered his question. Her wounds seemed to have been healed, and all that was left now was the sore muscles and headache. "Yeah… I'm still sore all over though."

"Aa." Shiso nodded, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, can't do anything about that, unfortunately. I'm still learning." At her blank look, the brunette snorted. "Who do you think healed you, eh?"

The rosette blinked. "You?" she asked curiously. When he nodded, she smiled. "Should've known. Umi doesn't have the patience for medical ninjutsu."

"Hey! That's mean, Saku-chan!" Umi objected. "I'll have you know, I got to Tokubetsu Jounin just fine without patience."

"Special Jounin?" Sakura echoed.

"Yeah. Both of us are Jounin, it's just me that's the Tokubetsu. I'm the all-round; defence, offence and T&I, while Shi-kun just got his genin team last week." Umi explained.

Sakura chuckled. "Shiso and little genin?" she hid a snort. "Impossible."

"I'm actually doing rather well, thank you very much. It could've been much worse – I could've ended up with two temperamental idiot girls on my team, and a quiet, laid-back guy forced to put up with them." He grumbled at the end.

"Are you describing your team," Sakura started.

"Or us?" Umi finished with a grin. "'cause that's really mean if you're talking about us, y'know. Our feelings are hurt." She sniffed dramatically.

"Meh. Just teasing. My team's fine – a nin-tai-gen combination. Pretty varied, if you ask me, but I can deal." He shrugged. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about."

Sakura paled at the serious air in the room, and the rapid change from Shiso's teasing to no-bullshit attitude. Even _Umi_ wasn't laughing anymore.

"What the hell did you do that got you so fucked up?" he gestured to the pinkish flesh of her still-healing arm, the multiple scars on her abdomen and legs. That's when Sakura realised that she was only in her chest bindings and black shorts, but she was too tired to be embarrassed. "I want details, Sakura-chan, so speak up. No lies."

The rosette briefly considered lying, but decided against it. They were _Umi_ and _Shiso_. The only two people she could honestly say she trusted with her life.

So she told them. Everything.

She talked about her life in the Akatsuki, training, her parents, the chuunin exams, the bonds she made with some of the Konoha ninja, her weird dream at the hospital which led to awakening her Rinnegan, the betrayal, and the moment they had to separate.

Sakura paused for a moment, giving them time to take it all in before she continued.

She spoke of her confrontation with Pein, eavesdropping on his conversation with the fake 'Madara', her reunion with Itachi, his plan regarding Sasuke – everything. She was interrupted when she told them about being sent to Oto and meeting Sasuke.

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you seriously trying to say that your dad sent you to the guy you hated most of all, because he was afraid you were stronger than him."

"Yes Umi." Shiso ground out. "Now, shut up and let her continue."

Sakura continued, talking about the deal she made with Sasuke, their spars, missions, her personal dilemma, discovering the Sage of Six Paths technique, using it on Sasori, meeting the leaf nin again, leaving another riddle in Neji's pocket, and the suicidal mission Orochimaru sent them on.

"The rest you already know. I killed them all, almost died myself, used what little chakra I had left to teleport myself to the closest village and collapsed. The end."

The rosette didn't look up when she finished, afraid that she would see the hatred and disgust in their eyes. She couldn't bear the thought of losing their trust. That's why she nearly jumped when she felt two pairs of arms wrap around her – one around her shoulders, the other round her waist.

"Poor Saku-chan." Umi sobbed. "Why did you leave the village? No one should have to go through the shit you've been put through. And how can you still stay _happy_? You've had everything taken away from you. How can you stand it?" she whispered.

Shiso's cheek was pressed against her own, but she still felt his body shaking with quiet sobs. "Umi's right, you know. You should've run, Sakura. No one should be forced to do what you have done. It's inhumane."

Sakura was frozen. They were crying. Umi and Shiso were crying.

And they were crying for her.

* * *

><p>"Ha, take that, Shi-kun! Checkmate!" Umi crowed, fist-pumping the air.<p>

After the waterworks subsided and they all shared a hug and many comforting words, they had decided to lift the sullen mood by playing shougi.

_Correction_: _**Umi**_ had decided.

Sakura was sitting at the table munching on some dango and watching the two with a fond smile on her face. It had been too long since she'd felt so relaxed. And with her two ex-teammates, she could be herself without having to explain anything.

She shivered as a particularly cool breeze came from the open window. Wearing just bandages and shorts wasn't a too great idea in Ame. It was just too bad that Umi had chosen that moment to look up.

"Oh yeah, Saku-chan… Your cloak was basically annihilated by Shiso when we found you and used as bandages, and the shirt was too soaked up in blood to be usable. We'd saved the weapons and sealing scrolls you had though! It's just your cloak and shirt that didn't make it." Umi's eyes glinted. "That means we get to play dress-up!"

Sakura paled. "What? No! I can just wear one of Shi-kun's shirts, right? N-no need to get excited, Umi-chan!" She stammered.

"Nuh-uh, Saku-chan! No way am I gonna let you wear _another_ oversized shirt. Do you _enjoy_ looking like a boy? You're going to wear my clothes and you're going to _**like**_ them!"

The rosette sent a desperate look at Shiso. "Help me here, Shi-kun! I don't wanna look like her personal doll!"

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. Umi's stubborn and if she wants you to do something, she'll have you do it."

Sakura didn't miss the despair that shone in Shiso's eyes, or the way his hand moved almost _protectively_ to his hair. She shivered at the mere thought of what that could mean.

"Come on, Saku-chan! I've to fix your hair as well!" Umi said enthusiastically. "Seriously, when was the last time you used conditioner?"

* * *

><p>"No." Sakura said in her best deadpan. "Absolutely <em><strong>not<strong>_."

"Come on, Saku-chan! You look absolutely adorable!" Umi gushed, gazing proudly at her creation.

"I will _**not**_ leave the house dressed like _this_." Sakura gestured to the mirror, her horrified reflection staring right back at her. "I look like a friggin' _doll_."

"_Duh!_ That's the point, Saku-chan!"

Sakura gazed in the mirror, still disturbed by what Umi had managed to do to her in less than two hours.

No longer did she have the hope of hiding in her cloak's big and comforting folds when she wanted to cry. Umi chose bold, formfitting clothes which Sakura would've never even _looked at,_ if it was her choice (she briefly wonders how was it possible for Umi's clothes to fit her perfectly, even though she was at least four inches taller than the girl).

She had on an emerald green skirt that ended a few inches above her knee and fishnet tights, her knee-length black boots being the only thing Umi allowed her to keep. That goes together with a pristine white V-neck t-shirt with a mesh shirt underneath and a trench-coat the same emerald green as her skirt.

And her hair. Oh god. That was the worst. Umi had cut it so it was now just a little above her shoulder blades, but that wasn't all. The redhead _insisted_ on weaving beads into Sakura's hair. Green and white beads on pink hair. The cut was a little like a bob, framing her face and her bangs swept to the side of her forehead.

In summary?

She looked like a doll. No threat-factor _at all._

* * *

><p>When Shiso saw Sakura come out of Umi's bedroom, he choked on his water.<p>

"I know. It's bad and I look ridiculous, and it's all. _Your_. _Damn_. _**Fault**_!"

"I-It could've been worse." Shiso denied meekly. But the glare Sakura sent him shut him up. Girls were fuckin scary.

That's when Umi hopped into the room, a bright smile glowing on her face. "Isn't she adorable, Shi-kun? She looks just like a little doll I used to have when I was five!"

Sakura turned to the redhead, a murderous aura emanating from her. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right where you stand." She hissed.

Umi exhaled slowly and then proceeded to fix Sakura with a stare, all traces of teasing gone. "Because I love you, very, very much." She said in a deadpan voice, worthy of a very pissed off Sakura.

Sakura stared for a moment. Then blinked. "That is somehow disturbing. Never do it again."

Shiso, who had been observing the exchange between his girlfriend and close friend, couldn't take it anymore. He burst out laughing, bent over and clutching at his stomach, tears coming from his eyes and rapidly sliding down his face.

"You two – should – drop being – a ninja – and – become – fucking _comedians_!" he wheezed out between fits of laughter.

Sakura turned to face Umi. "You know, I was pissed off before. Now I'm outright depressed."

Umi smiled sheepishly. "Eh, could anything make you feel better?" she asked.

"The only _sight_ that would make me feel better would be Shiso going out and jumping in some puddles. But that's a tad unlikely to happen."

Shiso, who had now calmed down from his laughing fit, scowled. "Just a _tad_, of course." He said sarcastically.

"Ne, Saku-chan, do you want some sake?" Umi asked cheerfully, going to the kitchen to retrieve said drink.

"Sure. You get the alcohol while I get the cards." Sakura agreed. This was probably the most unprofessional behaviour she'd ever showed, but she was relaxed for the first time in ages, and frankly, she couldn't care less.

"Strip poker, anyone?"

* * *

><p>After decidedly too many shots of sake, and more than enough clothing items discarded, the trio lay on the living room carpet, flushed and wheezing with laughter. They didn't really care that what made them laugh in the first place was said over half an hour ago, they were all still laughing.<p>

Suddenly, Umi sat up, digging her elbow into Shiso's gut.

"Hey," she hiccupped, "Saku-chan, didn't you say that there's another crazy guy in Akatsuki that's posing as Madara-_hic_-Uchiha?"

"Yeah, there – _hic_ – is. I don't know who he is, though." Sakura shrugged. She was the least intoxicated, though Shiso didn't seem to be doing too bad either.

"Do you want us to help you out?" he asked with only a single hiccup at the end. "Knowing who he is will make everything easier."

"Yeah. Makes sense. But for that we need a sober Umi though." Sakura frowned. "May I do the honours?"

"Be my guest." Shiso smirked.

Sakura walked over to the redhead and fought off the urge to facepalm. The girl was obviously tipsy, and her intoxicated state seemed to make her unbelievably hyper. Not good.

"Umi-chan!" _slap!_

Umi blinked. "Eh?" her hand rose to touch her reddening cheek. "Oww… Why'd you do that, Saku-chan?" she asked tearfully.

"We need your help."

* * *

><p>Shiso was right – it was much easier when all three of them sat down and brainstormed together. Sakura had drawn them a basic profile of each of the important members, and they spent the next our crossing out all of the downright impossible possibilities.<p>

They were currently down to Kakuzu, Sasori, Itachi… and Tobi.

"It's not Sasori – he's dead. Itachi… do you even need to know that? Kakuzu seems too preoccupied with his money to bother, and Tobi is just ridiculous! He can't even throw a kunai properly!" Sakura exclaimed, exasperated. "Though… he does have a pretty impressive Yin-Yang Release…" she added as an afterthought.

"It's always the quiet ones, Sakura." Shiso added quietly.

Sakura felt her stomach flip over. "Who'd have thought… Tobi, the infamous loudmouth and idiot of Akatsuki, strong enough to pose as Madara Uchiha and have my father address him per –_sama_? What has the world come to." She whispered.

"Sakura-chan…" Umi muttered, placing a comforting hand on the rosette's shoulder. "It's always darkest before the dawn."

"And we'll always be with you, no matter what." Shiso added, his own emotion leaking into his declaration.

The rosette looked at her two friends, tears glistening in her eyes as she stubbornly held them back. "Thanks, Umi, Shiso. Thank you, so much."

She smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Well… It was meant to be a humorous chapter, but the ending was still a little gloomy. Anyway, hope you liked it, and stay tuned for the next update!<strong>

**Sayonara for now! **

**REVIEW!**


	32. Changes

**Hi again, you wonderful people! How are you?**

**I deeply apologise for the long wait, as well as the semi-filler-ness of this chapter, but it was necessary. You'll understand what I mean when you read it ; )**

**As always, thanks to all my reviewers. You guys keep me going Hope you like this chappie!**

**(Oh, and as you all probably know, this image manager-thingy has started, so if anyone would like to make any fanart and send it to me, I'll be really happy!)**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>Sakura had left Ame the next morning. Somehow, this separation was even more painful than the one when they got back from the Chunin Exams, four years ago.<p>

_It won't have to be like this anymore_, She consoled herself. _Soon, Sasuke will kill Orochimaru and we'll be free. He'll go after Itachi, while I leave to pursue my own destiny_.

The only problem with that plan was that she did not know _**how**_ _soon _the _soon_ will be.

_He needs to kill Orochimaru, that's for sure. The fact that the snake had purposely sent us on a suicide mission should erase any doubts he might've had about the plan. After that… knowing Sasuke, he'll go straight after Itachi. On the other hand, knowing Itachi, he'll meet Sasuke head-on and… and let Sasuke kill him._

Unbidden, the tears that had been gathering in her eyes for a long time already, but were always held back, appeared. This time, Sakura didn't resist. She allowed them to fall, let herself show that one short moment of weakness. Never in her life had she felt so helpless. The vow she'd made to Sasuke, promising not to go after him when he finally decided to pursue Itachi… She regretted it.

She didn't understand why she agreed to it; knowing Itachi's true intentions she should've stopped Sasuke… But she didn't.

_Stop it! I need to concentrate on getting back to the hideout, then killing Orochimaru. I shouldn't worry about the silly promise. After all, promises are meant to be broken, right?_

A small smile appeared on her face.

**Good. Now, about this attire… Let's get rid of it.**

* * *

><p>A few hours later and a quick stop at a civilian village, Sakura had erased all traces of Umi's handiwork. She felt a tad guilty at disregarding such a great amount of kindness, but she knew it would soon prove to be more troublesome than it was worth. Changing her clothes to some she could easily move in had been easy. But the beads had proved to be a stubborn little nuisance and wouldn't come off. The rosette suspected that Umi had stuck them on with her chakra.<p>

In the end, she decided to screw appearance and just hacked the beads off – which included getting rid of a good half of her hair too. And that means, half of what Umi had made her hair into; so now the choppy bangs were just short of falling into her eyes, and the hair on the back of her head was ruffled.

_Interesting. My hair is shorter than Sasuke's. Che. _

As for the clothes, she settled for her trustworthy boots and black shorts, as well as a grey, long-sleeved V-neck over a mesh shirt. She'd unsealed her katana and strapped it to her back, the familiar weight acting as a comfort as she raced through the forests.

Overall, it took her three days' worth of running to get back to Oto. Nearing the location of the hideout, the rosette took a short nap, making sure she was well-rested and her chakra reserves weren't low, should an unexpected complication arise.

Upon arrival, Sakura exhaled a sigh of relief. She saw Sasuke training on the field just outside the hideout. A short talk with the raven would lift her spirits before she confronted the snake bastard.

Suddenly, she saw Sasuke stiffen half-way through his kata. Realising he must have sensed her chakra, she jumped down from the branch she was standing on, landing a few feet in front of him.

"How's it going, Sasuke-kun?" she asked teasingly.

The raven's eyes were wide with obvious surprise, but she also detected relief in his onyx eyes.

_Glad to see me still in one piece, eh Saucy-kun? You should know better than anyone that I can read you like a book._

"Sakura!" the surprised gasp escaped before he could try to stop it. Sakura bit back a giggle when she noticed the light pink blush which covered Sasuke's cheeks.

"Surprised? I can't see why; I promised I would come back, didn't I?" before he could protest, she'd wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug. "I… Thank you, Sasuke." She mumbled into his shoulder.

"What for?" Sasuke asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"For running when I told you to."

"I shouldn't have run. Leaving you there, high-tailing it away from there like a coward…" he spat. "Why did you tell me to run? I could've-!"

Sakura silenced him by placing a finger on his lips. "Because you need to live, you baka." She murmured fondly.

Sasuke knew that was his cue to shut up. The rosette was very subtle about it, but he could feel the pain and regret that seemed to radiate off of her in waves.

"So, what brought this on?" he changed the topic and gestured to her hair.

"An unexpected, yet not totally unwanted meeting with an old friend." She explained vaguely. "Now, are you up for a spar?" she grinned.

* * *

><p>Absentmindedly, the rosette realised that she was putting off her unavoidable confrontation with the snake Sannin. Was it fear of what he might do if their plan goes wrong, or perhaps something else? She didn't know.<p>

But there were no words to describe the shocked surprise she experienced when she finally went to see him; bedridden, paler than ever, and shaking, as if the mere act of sitting up cost him more effort than the most complicated of jutsus. The sight was truly pathetic.

_Which means that the Body Transfer will take place soon… We must act fast._

Unbidden, fear coursed through her veins. Even in his weakened state, Orochimaru was still strong. Not stronger than Itachi, but then again, Sakura had _never_ seen Itachi go all-out. It was never needed. She was there when he gained his Susanoo, but she'd never seen it used by him in battle.

However, Orochimaru was different. His life-goal was to master all jutsu known to shinobi, and he had no second-thoughts about using them when he trained them. She knew his abilities, yet knew nothing of his limitations.

And there was also Kabuto. She had no doubts that the bastard would try to revive Orochimaru when they left the base. That's why she had to kill him. Orochimaru by himself was bad. Bits and pieces of Orochimaru combined with Kabuto were too much. There was nothing that would prevent him, apart from death.

Sakura hadn't told Sasuke of her plan yet. She had a feeling he planned to keep four-eyes alove, for whatever reason. She just couldn't let that happen. Both of them had to die.

* * *

><p>After over three hours of twisting and turning on her cot, unable to catch even a wink of sleep, Sakura had given up on rest; insomnia and worry keeping her up, and had to resort to drastic methods of <em>knocking herself out<em>.

When she finally stirred, she immediately stiffened. Another presence was in her room, and her drowsy state prevented her from recognising the signature.

"Relax, Sakura." The lazy drawl of a certain Uchiha calmed her. "There's something we need to do."

Immediately, her attention increased and she turned to her side to face Sasuke, before sitting up.

"Go free the prisoners, then get Suigetsu and bring him here. After you're done, find me as soon as you can."

He sent her a backward glance over the shoulder, a semi-confident smirk meant to reassure her playing on his lips.

"_It's time."_


	33. Gone for good

**Don't shoot me yet.**

**Read the chapter. Then shoot.**

* * *

><p>Coming across Suigetsu had been nothing more than an accident, which later proved a blessing for Sakura. The water-user's snarky humour and his ability to find something to laugh about regardless the situation had been a great stress-diffuser when the doubts about her plans regarding Sasuke and Itachi had been the strongest. Due to that, Suigetsu was made aware of what made his '<em>favourite little pinkette' <em>so depressed at times quite quickly. He understood that this wasn't a matter she could address with Sasuke, and thus had sworn to never speak of it if the Uchiha was near. He'd tried his best to provide Sakura with advice, even though he had never met Itachi, and could only try to guess how hard it was for the rosette from her descriptions of her bonds with both men.

It was in that small, dark room or even dungeon, bare of anything which suggested it was ever used, save for the great water tank in which Suigetsu was locked in, where Sakura had come to the best ways of overcoming her ever-growing loyalty tests.

But now, as she ran top-speed to get to the lab as fast as she could, the pinkette had to forcefully banish the anxiety and worry which washed over her every time she thought of the Uchiha brothers.

Now wasn't the time to worry about her personal problems.  
>Now wasn't the time to play the Good Samaritan.<p>

Now was the time to kill Orochimaru.

So she was going to be a bit selfish, whether people liked it or not.

* * *

><p>"So, let me get this straight: we're going to free the rest of the freaks- I mean, <em>prisoners<em>-" he corrected himself at Sakura's scorching glare, "get our butts to Sasuke as fast as we can, then help him kick the Snake-bastard's scaly ass?"

Sakura stifled a sigh at the shark-nin's pathetically simplistic description. Sometimes she adored him for the easy, no-complications solutions, but on other times, his simplicity just _pissed her off_. She had just spent a good five minutes explaining the importance of precise timing and speed to their job, only for him to sum it up in one measly sentence. It was agitating.

"Yes, Suigetsu-kun." She hissed through gritted teeth, "That's _exactly_ what we're going to do."

"Then you could've said so at the start!"

All professionalism gone, Sakura allowed herself to deck the obnoxious ninja in the face. Hard.

* * *

><p>When they finally got to the room where Sakura sensed Sasuke was, she told the shark-nin to wait outside. The following battle was to be between the Orochimaru, her and Sasuke <em>only.<em>

The pinkette didn't doubt Suigetsu's obvious skill with a blade, didn't doubt the fact that he would've been a formidable opponent if she ever ended up fighting against him, but he just didn't _know_ Sasuke as well as she did.

Plus she liked the obnoxious water-nin too much to have him die because he was too slow to dodge Sasuke's attack if it backfired.

_Back to the matter at hand… It's time to play!_

And as she strolled into the room with her chin held high and adrenaline pulsing through her veins, she swore that she would never let her precious people be taken away from her side.

_And definitely not by a bastard like Orochimaru or Tobi… or even my father._

* * *

><p>Orochimaru's genjutsu had been one of the most terrifying things Sakura had ever experienced.<p>

That moment of insecurity when her and Sasuke were both trapped in the goo-like body transfer jutsu with no visible way out – that was when Sakura had to shamefully admit that she'd stopped believing that Sasuke's plan would succeed.

But when he turned to her, and she saw in his eyes the same cocky glint she always saw, and realised that he knew she doubted him; her fears melted away. And when he spoke those five words which were filled to the brim with confidence, her smirk replicated his.

"_Show him what you've got."_

_Sakura nodded and turned to face the snake sannin. _

"_There's something I've never told you before." She closed her eyes, and as she reopened them, the grey rings of Rinnegan had replaced her previously emerald orbs. "I was never as helpless as you thought. __**SHINRAI TENSEI!**__"_

The whole illusion was blasted away with the power of her Almighty Push, and Sasuke had made sure that once the snake sannin fell, he would never stand again.

Once they walked out, Sakura couldn't help but still feel insecure. Something just wasn't _right_. She found out what that was the moment they stepped out to the corridor.

Suigetsu stood in the middle of the hallway, his stance tense and his sword grasped tightly in his hands. His purple eyes were narrowed in a glare – at Kabuto.

Sakura paled. She was no fool. She knew that Kabuto was crazy about power – maybe even more so than the snake sannin. The rosette also didn't doubt his medical abilities or the kind of man he was.

Kabuto was scum. And having more than a fair share of experiences with less than honourable men, Sakura had no doubts about what his next move will be. But she couldn't let it happen.

She noticed that Sasuke was saying something to the medic-nin but she didn't register his words. All she knew was that she had to stop the bastard.

And stop him she did.

Just when they turned around to walk away, and she felt Kabuto move closer to the room they'd just exited, she spun around and shot three chakra-armed kunai into his back. Then, without giving him a chance to retaliate, she pulled out her sword from its sheath, and in one, swift movement sliced his head off.

"That's for the mark on my hand, you bastard. I'm not the same person I was at the Chunin Exams, but you, of course, were too stupid to realise that, weren't you?" she whispered to the corpse.

In her peripheral vision she saw Suigetsu grimace at the head that lolled on the floor, but she paid it no heed. Still, with Sasuke's burning gaze boring a metaphorical black hole into her back, and as the seriousness of what she just did caught up with her, Sakura felt the need to explain herself.

"He would've collected everything he could from the snake-bastard and injected it into himself. One creepy paedophilic sannin on the run is enough… Right, Sasuke?" she finished, her voice growing weaker as she drew to an end.

The raven just stared at her while Suigetsu was doing his best to keep his jaw off the ground.

Suddenly, Sasuke wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. "Tell me, why I can't ever stay angry with you?" he murmured into the pinkette's hair.

"Because deep down, you know I'm right." Sakura replied.

"Let's just get out of here." Sasuke said after a beat of silence. "Sakura, you know your job."

The rosette smirked in response. "Time to blow shit up."

In a few minutes the entire base was levelled with the ground. "Che. Orochimaru doesn't stand a chance against a few explosive tags."

* * *

><p>As they stood amongst the ruins of what had been their home for more than three years, Sakura was doing her best to keep her tears at bay. She knew that the time would come when she'd have to say goodbye to Sasuke, but it came too quickly, and she wasn't ready.<p>

But there was nothing Sakura could do about that, so she kept smiling, pretending to be okay, although they both knew she wasn't.

Suigetsu kept glancing between Sakura and Sasuke, a clueless expression on his handsome face. "Why do both of you look like you're about to cry? We beat the snake-bastard, didn't we? Be happy, damnit!"

Sakura just smiled as she stepped forward and hugged the white-haired male, her short hair barely brushing his chin. "Goodbye, Sui-kun. Take care." She muttered into his chest.

The shark-nin stiffened. "G-Goodbye?" he croaked out. "What the hell are you on about?!"

Seeing that Sakura was in no state to explain anything, Sasuke took the matters into his own hands. "Sakura is not coming with us." When he saw the water-nin was about to protest, he quickly continued. "When Sakura and I first met, we each had our own destinies which we had to pursue. We worked together in order to bring us closer to fulfilling them. Now that the time has come, it's time to go our separate ways… And make our dreams a reality." Sasuke's voice broke at the end. Second time in less than three hours, he pulled Sakura into his side and buried his face in her choppy hair. "This isn't goodbye forever. Remember that."

"I will." Sakura whispered, and, climbing onto her tiptoes, kissed Sasuke on the tip of his nose.

A second later, she was gone.

They stood in silence, staring into the forest for what felt like an eternity, before Suigetsu broke the silence.

"Are you seriously going to let her disappear, just like that?" he questioned incredulously.

Without taking his eyes away from the trees, Sasuke replied. "Someone once told me: _if you love something, let it free. If it comes back, it was meant to be_." He stood still for a moment longer, before he turned to Suigetsu, his trademark smirk back on. "Let's go. We've given Itachi enough head start."

* * *

><p>It's been two hours since they killed Orochimaru, one hour and fifty-fife minutes since she beheaded Kabuto, one hour forty-eight minutes since she kissed Sasuke, and one hour and a half since she ran away, leaving them behind.<p>

And not even a second went by without her worrying if she made the right choice.

_I did. I must've. I killed Orochimaru and Kabuto. I freed Suigetsu. I'm on my way to find Pein and fulfil my own destiny like I promised the Sage all those years ago. And… I kept my promise to Sasuke – I didn't follow him. Although… I think I shouldn't have kept it._

**Then why are you still running?**

Sakura almost jumped out of her skin, losing her grip on the branch and tumbling down. Only years of practice and excellent chakra control saved her from colliding head-first with the hard forest floor. Letting her feet drop to the grass, she tried regaining her balance; when that proved unsuccessful, the rosette slid down to a sitting position, back propped up against a tree.

_What the hell?!_

**Have you forgotten me already?**

_It's kind of hard to forget a voice in your head!_

**You've always been an exception.**

_You-! Get out of my head so I can kill you!_

**I'd rather not.**

_You crazy, ancient, insane bastard._

**From a normal person's point of view, you're the insane one. You're arguing with a voice in your head.**

Sakura didn't have a reply for that. She was suddenly reminded of what she was thinking before the Sage made his painfully annoying presence known.

_Have I made the right choice?_

**I can't tell you that. However, I think you already know.**

_I wish I knew. All I know is that continuing forward gets me closer to Pein. But it takes me away from the two most important people in my life; one which, if I continue going, will undoubtedly die… And then there's that promise I made to Sasuke…_

**You've never cared about promises before. And Sakura, I've waited a long time for someone to take out Nagato. I can wait a few days more.**

_You mean…?_

**Go back.**

…_I will._

As she stood up, she gazed at the sky, a smile gracing her features.

"Sorry, Sasuke. I've always been bad at following orders."

And, with a renewed determination, she ran back where she came from, hell-bent on keeping _both_ of the Uchihas alive. After all, she had always loved them.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay. Now you can shoot.<strong>

**I can't even begin to explain how guilty I feel for not updating for four months.**

**FOUR MONTHS!**

**Holidays, illness, writer's block – everything piled onto itself, creating one, big monster called **_**'I CAN'T**_**' – trust me, I wanted to update , but I physically **_**COULDN'T**_**. **

**I was away from my house for most of the holidays, and when I was in, I was obsessing over the awesomeness of K-pop and too busy drooling over SHINee videos to even attempt to cure my writer's block.**

**Yes, I know, I've been a bad author.**

**Also, I would like to explain something else;**

**For those who thought Orochimaru was taken down too easily-**

**In Shippuden, when Sasuke fought him, he seemed to have control over the genjutsu from the very beginning. So, while Sasuke and his Sharingan took care of the, for lack of better word, '**_**technicalities'**_** of the genjutsu, Sakura took care of its '**_**physical'**_** state. And if Pein's Almighty Push had enough power to completely **_**flatten**_** Konoha, I decided that Sakura wouldn't have a problem with blowing away a bit of **_**goo**_**. Hence, Orochimaru's short, yet embarrassing defeat.**

**Also, Kabuto.**

**Those of you who'd been with this story from the very beginning would've probably guessed, since I had made it public knowledge, that I absolutely fuckinghateloathedespise the four-eyed piece- of- shit-that- should- go- die- in- a-hole- because- that's- the- only- thing –he-can-do fucktard Kabuto.**

**Ehem. Excuse that.**

**From the beginning, I had made Sakura to be smart. Staying in Akatsuki, she had had dealings with criminals, traitors, liars and people who could sweet-talk to you in one second, and have a kunai shoved into your stomach in the next. Which, in turn, gave her the ability to analyse Kabuto's personality. Being a medic-nin, she was also aware of his skills, and therefore knew what he was capable of. I think it's easy to draw the conclusion she did, if you have the right mind and a bit of common sense.**

**Which she did.**

**Ergo, bye-bye creepy snake-wannabe. **

**And if you think the way she killed him was brutal, well, tough toenail darlings, but it was the only fool-proof method of making sure that when he's dead, he'll **_**stay**_** dead.**

**That's it for now, but I promise the next chappie will come out in a week, maybe two.**

**And you know what that chapter will be?**

**The Uchiha Brothers Final Face-Off!**

**~Arigato & Bye Bye!**

**-Invincible Shadow**


	34. The Truth

**Okay. I lied. It's been more than a week or two. It's been three months. Again.  
>Luckily, I've invested in a bullet-proof vest this time. <strong>

**So, I bring you this; the awaited Uchiha Brothers' Final Face-Off!**

* * *

><p>Sasuke tried to shake off the small prickling of guilt he felt at just allowing Sakura to get away. But… he followed the plan, so that was what mattered, right? It was still hell as he had to listen to Suigetsu whine and sulk the whole way to where the final battle would take place.<p>

Finally, they arrived, but there was already somebody waiting for them. Sasuke bristled when he saw his brother's blue partner. But Suigetsu's reaction surprised him more – the white-haired teen openly smirked, and eyed the bandage-wrapped sword.

"Well, well. Kisame Hoshigaki. I'll be taking that sword from you, just you wait." Suigetsu exclaimed. He turned to face the raven. "You go on, Sasuke. I'll handle him."

"Che, don't get too cocky, kid. You may be Mangetsu's brother, but you know nothing about _real_ kenjutsu." Kisame replied. "He died too early to pass on his knowledge, didn't he, kid?"

Sasuke saw Suigetsu grit his teeth and felt his chakra spike. "OK, sorry Sasuke. First it was just convenient, now it's personal. Go."

The raven nodded and left, knowing and not wanting to witness how Suigetsu can be when his bloodlust wins over. Instead, he moved in the direction he knew Itachi was already waiting at – The Uchiha Compound.

It was time for the final face-off. The final battle.

A battle he intended to win.

* * *

><p>Itachi sighed and pressed his hand into his face. His eyes had been losing focus even more than usual, and his lungs felt like they were on fire. But he didn't have long left to suffer; he felt Sasuke's chakra spike, as well as his partner's. There was no doubt the boy was here, and probably looking for him right now. Luckily he didn't make himself hard to find.<p>

The battle to come would be one of the worst yet; it was to be against his brother. But, his plans had all worked out, Sasuke was still clueless and Tobi had not yet tracked him down, which was all good.

He carefully prepared the genjutsu and felt Sasuke's chakra signature nearing.

"Itachi."

It came as no surprise, yet the sound of his brother's voice sent shivers down his spine. He didn't want this battle. But it was inevitable.

"Hello, little brother."

* * *

><p>Sasuke was petrified. All this time he was getting stronger, what with the Curse Mark, Orochimaru's training, and Sakura's help. And yet, here, where it all mattered, all of his greatest attacks seemed useless. Kirin, which they'd been working on for over a year, proved completely futile, and had been fully absorbed, and, not only that, managed to provoke an ultimate defence barrier, the Susanoo. Something he only read about in the Uchiha library when he was a child, or read at bedtime and listened as his mother called it a legend.<p>

Then suddenly, Itachi, even when almost dying, pulls it out, just as Sasuke ran out of usable jutsus.

All of a sudden he realised why Sakura admired his brother so – and, when he finally took off the rose-tinted glasses, he began seeing similarities in their behaviour on the battlefield. Similarities, which unsettled him.

Panicked, he threw explosive kunai at the skeletal structure which surrounded his brother. They did nothing, and he watched, heart hammering madly in his chest as Itachi started moving towards him. For every shaky step Itachi took closer to him, Sasuke took an equally shaky step back, until his back hit the stone wall of the compound.

_Damn it!_

With nowhere left to run to, Sasuke stood in place, waiting for the moment when Itachi got close enough to take his eyes. Desperate fingers searched his kunai pouch for anything usable, but came up with nothing. Finally, he was close enough, and his hand was already reaching out, and then-

"_**Sasuke! Itachi! STOP!" **_

Sasuke's eyes snapped to where he heard the voice coming from and was shocked to see the all-too-familiar shock of pink hair.

_Sakura. _

At the same time, Itachi also seemed to recognise the voice, as he craned his neck to look over his shoulder, and Sasuke saw a flash of recognition along with - _was it pain?_ – flash through his brother's eyes. Slowly, Itachi turned back to face him, and his fingers unhurriedly rose and Sasuke shut his eyes when he realised they were headed for his face. But the expected blow do his eyes never came. Instead, he felt a soft poke to his forehead, and the familiar prick of pain that followed. Only the words were different.

"Sorry, Sasuke. This is the last time." and he watched, shocked beyond belief, as his brother smiled, and fell down – dead, at his feet.

In his shocked stupor he didn't notice Sakura getting closer until the pinkette knelt down at his fallen brother's side, her hand quickly engulfed with the soft green glow of medical chakra.

"He's alive, but barely." She whispered. "If he gives in, he'll die." Sakura raised her head to look Sasuke in the eyes. The raven quickly deactivated his Sharingan, bringing back the familiar ebony eyes Sakura loved, yet hated so much at the same time. "Sasuke…" she started. "There's something I need to tell you. Something I _should've_ told you the first time I saw you."

Sasuke nodded, almost imperceptibly, surprise and confusion evident in his eyes.  
>Sakura took a deep breath, then slowly released it.<p>

"All of this was planned."

* * *

><p>Sasuke blinked, stupefied. What? Unable to comprehend what the pinkette had just said, he glared at her, demanding an explanation. Realising what he wanted, Sakura sighed, and swallowed nervously. Somehow, the action alerted Sasuke to the fact that he might not like what he hears.<p>

"You got it all wrong." Sakura said softly. "Or rather, you followed his plan perfectly. You did exactly what he wanted, and ensured that in the end, it would all turn out how he desired it to – you alive and well, him dead."

The raven was even more confused, and suddenly his legs gave in causing him to collapse by Sakura's side, his head in his hands.

"I can tell you more, but I need to stabilise his condition. Can I, please?" Sakura asked cautiously, fully aware that Sasuke would much rather prefer his brother to stay dead after he'd finally managed to kill him.

But, to her surprise, the raven gave a sullen nod, and Sakura set to work.

* * *

><p>When she was done, Itachi's condition stabilised for the moment and his eyesight almost completely healed, Sakura took a deep breath and made Sasuke promise that he wouldn't try to interrupt her through her story. Once the Uchiha nodded, she began her tale.<p>

She told him everything – starting with Itachi's childhood, bringing back memories Sasuke had buried behind him long ago, memories of the times when his relationship with his brother had been perfect; next she delved into things Itachi had never told him about his work – the troubles of being an ANBU, having to live up to the expectations of an Uchiha clan Heir, dealing with criminals and murderers on a daily basis when all his brother wanted was peace.  
>Then she moved on to the plans of the coup d'état and the Hokage's orders, and how Itachi begged the Third to spare his little brother's life. Disbelief turned into anger at his Village as after a brief rummaging through Itachi's pouch Sakura produced the tear-stained, dog-eared copy of the coded order for the massacre Itachi had kept on him all this time and handed it to Sasuke, pointing to the hand-written key Sasuke belatedly realised was Itachi's handwriting which helped him decode the vague instructions given, all signed by his Village's Hokage and Elders.<br>Finally she moved on to talk about Itachi's time in Akatsuki, how she met him, how he'd become her confidant and she started discovering all the well-hidden secrets he possessed, his receding eye-sight and the fatal illness which killed him a little bit more each day. She moved on to talking how she started training and working for him, fully agreeing with his goal of peace in the Shinobi Nations, just with a different way of achieving that piece than her father's. Next came the fated Chuunin Exams, where she'd first come across Sasuke and the communication she still kept with Itachi. She described how she found out about Itachi's plan regarding Sasuke, and how she tried to put a stop to it, but to no avail, instead intentionally provoking her father into sending her to Orochimaru, a place she knew she'd be able to keep an eye on him 24/7 and prevent him from conflicting Itachi's plans. She spoke of her confusion and pain as she discovered she grew to love them both equally and couldn't decide who to help, who to condemn. He listened as she talked of the Sage of Six Paths who helped her come to a decision, and how she finally came after him, after deciding that she had to be the one to tell him the truth.

"All in all, Itachi was innocent, and he loved you all the way through." She finished breathlessly.

Sasuke was… conflicted. There were thousands of emotions rapidly stampeding through his mind, heart and soul, so many that he was unable to focus on one for more than a second. Grief, disbelief, anger, love, pain; they were only the tip of the iceberg. And through it all, Sakura sat by his side, a patient, understanding look on her face as she waited for him to come to terms with what she'd told him, occasionally reaching up to wipe away the tears which had escaped his eyes.

"Is… Is there any way to save him?" Sasuke finally croaked out, his voice hoarse from tears.

Sakura nodded softly, a melancholic smile on her face as she laid her hands over his brother's chest. To Sasuke's surprise, it was not the soft, green glow which he'd expected which engulfed her hands, but a glowing purple, with white edges.

"What a-are you doing?" he choked out, surprised. He knew what the white glow was – Sakura's life-force. He'd seen it enough times to be sure, but every time it left the rosette considerably drained. No, it was the purple glow he was worried about.

"Absorbing his illness." Sakura replied quietly.

"No!" Sasuke protested almost immediately, preparing to lunge forward and knock her hands away, only to be stopped by a chakra field Sakura was emitting from her body, keeping him at bay.

"I'm already dying anyway, Sasuke-kun. And you want your brother back, don't you?" after that comment, Sasuke didn't try to interfere. He couldn't find the willpower to get into an argument with her at a time like that.

Finally, Sakura took her hands away and inhaled deeply. Sasuke saw the almost imperceptible wince of pain as she breathed and felt sorry for the rosette.

"You're a medical-ninja, probably the best there is at the moment. Can't you make it go away? Cure it?" Sasuke asked, a hint of despair colouring his voice.

Sakura shook her head, a serene smile on her face. "Not when it's this advanced, Sasuke. Keep in mind Itachi had harboured the illness for almost a decade." She stated.

Sasuke was about to reply, but a movement to his left cut him off. Sakura's head snapped in the same direction, and they both watched anxiously as Itachi's pinky finger twitched, and he stirred, before his eyes fluttered open slowly, the Sharingan replaced with his beautiful onyx orbs.

He blinked a little, waiting for his eyes to come into focus, and Sakura saw the unmasked surprise and joy reflected on his face, and she could imagine how different it must've been to see painlessly and in full detail. Itachi's eyes swivelled to her, then to her side to look at Sasuke. She saw the hidden love and care surface as Itachi gazed at his brother, and she was pleased to see a similar expression reflected on Sasuke's face. Sakura watched as Itachi sat up and inhaled, and saw his eyes considerably widen when there was no pain, and no blood coming out. His eyes came to look at her once again, properly this time. She saw him take in her hair, her pale complexion, her dull and tired emerald eyes – he frowned when he didn't see the familiar glint they always joked about – but his eyes settled on her smile, and she saw him give one in response.

Her breath hitched, as it was the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen, full of forgiveness and love and relief and anticipation. Then, as he spread his arms, neither Sakura, nor Sasuke had to be asked twice, and they fell into his arms, finally together and happier than they'd ever been.

Sakura lay in his arms, snuggled into both Uchiha brothers and quietly listening to their heartbeats, all thoughts of Pein banished from her mind as she enjoyed the one moment where she had her two precious people by her side, happy, healthy and together.

And she vowed to keep it that way, even if it cost her her life, because if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that the two brothers by her side deserved some happiness.

After all, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Sakura was on a mission.

* * *

><p><strong>Here it is, my lovely readers. Three months' wait, and it's finally here. So, what do you think – good, bad, could've been better?<strong>

**I would greatly appreciate your feedback in a REVIEW!**

**~Invincible.**


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